The increasing culture of violence in America must be addressed on a much deeper level than gun control, said the Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia, commenting on a violent incident that left the perpetrator and a bystander dead and five others injured, including two police officers.
“Combine easy access to guns with a culture that breeds resentment, self-focus, personal license and contempt for human life and the law, and what you get is what happened over the past weekend: the terrible shootings of innocent people by Nicholas Glenn and others,” said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput on Monday. “Taking away the guns – making them far more difficult to acquire – is the easy part, but it doesn’t begin to address the deeper moral and social dysfunctions of American urban life. Violence begins in the heart before the hand picks up a weapon. Violence is now part of the American Way from womb to tomb, and it should surprise no one when it hits home locally.”
The suspect in the West Philly shooting, identified by investigators as Nicholas Glenn, was eventually cornered in an alley and fatally shot by police. The shooting occurred at the start of a violent weekend in Philadelphia. There were 18 shootings, but no additional fatalities, between the afternoon of Sept. 16 and the evening of Sept. 18.
The City of Brotherly Love, along with New York and Washington, D.C., are recalling the visit of Pope Francis at this time last year.
And today we celebrate...