The United States should
work with the international community to help Egyptians end violence,
restore the rule of law and build an inclusive democracy in their
country, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on
International Justice and Peace.
In an Aug. 23 letter to Secretary of
State John Kerry, Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, urged a
path of dialogue and reconciliation that promotes peace, human rights
and religious freedom in Egypt.
"Amidst the tragedy of violence and
bloodshed in Egypt, our conference has a special concern for the
Christian community," Bishop Pates wrote. "Extremists have scapegoated
Christians, blaming them for the current state of affairs, and viciously
attacked Christian churches, institutions and communities, destroying
property and terrorizing people. The destruction of Christian churches
and the targeting of Christians are unacceptable."
Bishop Pates said
U.S. bishops join Pope Francis in praying for "all the victims and their
families, the injured and all those who are suffering."
He echoed the
words of Coptic Catholic Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak who commended
the Muslims in Egypt who stood with Christians and defended their
churches and institutions.
Bishop Pates also expressed concern for
Egypt's poor and refugees, who are particularly vulnerable in a time of
upheaval.