As protests continue in Ferguson, Missouri the Archdiocese of St Louis is calling for prayers and peace.
The suburb of St Louis has been in a state of unrest since the August 9 killing of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer. Archbishop Robert J Carlson urged Christians to be examples of peace in a time of confusion.
"We are all aware of the turmoil and tragedy our St. Louis community is experiencing," he said in an August 18 letter, the Catholic News Agency reports. "The residents of Ferguson, Missouri, are struggling to find peace in the chaos. As people of Christ, we are struggling to find direction in the unrest.
"In all circumstances, but especially in these difficult times, we are all called to be instruments of peace through our words and actions."
The Church leader said he visited Ferguson and the site where Michael Brown was killed, and found strength in "the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: 'Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.'"
Brown, 18, was with a friend, Dorian Johnson, when they came into contact with a police officer. According to police, Brown struggled with the officer's gun, and the officer fired several shots. An autopsy showed the teen was shot at least six times—twice in the head and four times in the right arm.
Johnson told news station KMOV that Brown had his arms raised in a non-confrontational stance, but the officer continued to fire his weapon. Witnesses have corroborated that report, while other first-person accounts said Brown was physically fighting with the officer.
Since the killing, there has been widespread looting and several clashes with police in Ferguson. Businesses and schools are closed, at least two people have been shot and one other person killed, and dozens of people have been arrested.
Archbishop Carlson will lead a "Mass for Peace and Justice" at 5pm at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis on August 20, and donations will be collected "to assist food pantries and parishes in the Ferguson area that offer assistance to those who have been affected by the looting and destruction of property."
