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Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio, right, leads the opening prayer Sept. 20, 2018, during the Fifth National Encuentro, or V Encuentro, in Grapevine, Texas. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)
Aug. 8, 2019
Catholic San FranciscoIn the wake of the El Paso tragedy, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller apologized for tweets that singled out President Trump but redoubled his call against racist speech and what he called "growing fear and resentment ... that instigates fear against foreigners, immigrants and refugees."
In an Aug. 6 social media response to controversial tweets that drew national headlines, Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller said he regretted that his remarks "were not focused on the issues but on an individual."
"All individuals have God-given dignity and should be accorded respect and love as children of God, especially in our conversations and interactions," he said. "We should be aware of this in our discourse about the Office of the President of the United States, which is due our respect."
In a San Antonio archdiocese video broadcast, the 62-year-old prelate read his response and added, "If I have added to anyone's pain at this emotional time, I deeply regret it."
In an Aug. 6 article, the Washington Post said the Mexican American archbishop "was left in shock" by the Aug. 3 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart store. The newspaper said the archbishop, who has supported migrants and asylum seekers, felt President Trump’s '"invasion” rhetoric against Hispanics was echoed in a manifesto police believe was posted by the alleged gunman and "helped create a climate that led to the tragedy."
The newspaper said the archbishop tweeted that the president's rhetoric had “destroyed” people’s lives. Calling for gun control to prevent future mass killings like those in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, the archbishop commented, “President stop hate and racism, starting with yourself,” according to the newspaper.
In his response, the archbishop said, "My hope is to bring comfort at this emotional time."
He said he served as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Cultural Diversity and noted that last fall the episcopal conference approved a document titled, “The Enduring Call to Love: A Pastoral Letter Against Racism.”
"The pastoral letter stated that, 'Despite many promising strides made in our country, the ugly cancer of racism still infects our nation. Racist acts are sinful because they violate justice. They reveal a failure to acknowledge the human dignity of the persons offended, to recognize them as the neighbors Christ calls us to love,'" the archbishop said.
He added, "The document also reads, 'Every racist act — every such comment, every joke, every disparaging look as a reaction to the color of skin, ethnicity or place of origin — is a failure to acknowledge another person as a brother or sister, created in the image of God.'
"No one has the moral right to make racist statements."
He said he plans future tweets and preaching to "initiate renewed dialogue."
"Let us focus on this. My prayer is that this leads to healthy national conversations on these issues which affect many people in our country," he said.
Archbishop Garcia-Siller continued, "There is growing fear and harassment, and at times American public discourse uses rhetoric that instigates fear against foreigners, immigrants and refugees.
"We must pray for fervently for peace amidst all of the violence which seems to be overwhelming our society," he concluded. "We must be lights in the darkness. Let us further the values of the Kingdom. We do not need more division, but rather, we need to move forward in freedom to discuss these topics more deeply in light of the Gospel."