The Common Good

National Cathedral hosts interfaith call to action on gun violence

By: Mike Conneen
Source: wjla.com
Date: March 16, 2013
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At Washington National Cathedral on Saturday, prayers and panels were offered for the nationwide Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend.

"Communities of faith and their faith leaders are the ones who stand with parents to pray over their child who's been shot," says Cathedral Dean Gary Hall. "We're the ones who mourn with them at countless funerals."

A coalition of nearly 50 denominations have joined an interfaith call to action. "How can we make our society where children can live and grow up fearless?" asks Rajwant Singh of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education.

The weekend of events features local and national activists, clergy and lawmakers. And organizers say more than 300 churches and other religious organizations across the country are participating, watching a simulcast or hosting their own events.

"This issue of gun violence is not a partisan issue," says Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). "It's a human issue."Faith leaders plan to take the same approach with lawmakers they took with immigration reform."They're changing their politics on immigration reform because the faith community has articulated a moral issue," says Jim Wallis of Sojourners.