Pope Francis has offered consolation to the hurting in Chicago, and called for 'healing' from the city's violence, as the the region's top Catholic cleric announced an anti-violence 'Peace Walk' to commemorate murder victims.
Cardinal Blase Cupich invited 'all people of good will' to join a 'Peace Walk' on April 14 through the notorious gun crime-ridden Englewood neighbourhood, according to RNS.
'The causes of the violence we are seeing in our city are complex and deep seated, but I have a strong belief, based on the good will and the many dedicated efforts of our civic and religious leaders, that these causes can be addressed and the suffering can end if we all work together,' Cupich said at a news conference at the Peace Corner Youth Center in Chicago's South Austin neighborhood.
He also pledged $250,000 from the diocese's discretionary fund to support anti-violence programs throughout the city. 'If we don't do this as a church, we might as well pack up,' he said, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Pope Francis personally picked Cupich in 2014 to serve as the Chicago Archdiocese's cardinal. The pontiff himself sent his own message of support to the longsuffering city.
'Walking the path of peace is not always easy, but it is the only authentic response to violence,' the pope wrote. He conveyed his thoughts and prayers for those families who have lost loved ones through Chicago's violence, and pointed to the non-violent legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Francis wrote: 'As I make my own Way of the Cross in Rome (on Good Friday), I will accompany you in prayer, as well as those who walk with you and who have suffered violence in the city.'
He added: 'I pray that the people of your beautiful city never lose hope, that they work together to become builders of peace, showing future generations the true power of love.'
In 2016 Chicago saw over 4,300 people shot, and over 760 killed, the city's worst violence figures in just under two decades. As of Monday, at least 755 people have been shot this year.
