Provincial Minister Ron Walters, OFM, and five other leaders of U. S. provinces belonging to the Order of Friars Minor issued the following statement on February 24, 2022 in support of Ukraine calling for unceasing prayer and nonviolent international responses to restore peace.

We are horrified at the unfolding violence in Ukraine and the death and destruction unleashed on the people of Ukraine. Most often, it is the poor, weak, old, and young that pay the highest price in times of conflict. We mourn that a nonviolent resolution based in diplomacy could not be reached, and we applaud the efforts of the United States, Europe, and the United Nations in trying to achieve such a solution. Unfortunately, Russia’s actions have self-separated it from being a legitimate member of the family of nations on our globe. Such a tear in a family is always a cause for despair.

We affirm and share the feelings of our Holy Father Pope Francis in his address of Feb. 2, 2022, where he spoke with “pain in his heart” of the potential (now realized) for violent scenarios to occur with the invasion of Ukraine.

Now is the time for unceasing prayer and nonviolent responses at the international level. We call upon the government leaders of the U.S. to put aside partisan differences and find a common response to the conflict. The world must unite in a coordinated nonviolent effort to encourage Russia to cease its invasion and return to being a member of the world family of nations.

Finally, we accept Pope Francis’s call for Ash Wednesday, March 2, 2022, to be an international day of fasting and prayer for peace. We encourage all Franciscan ministries in which we serve also to take up the Holy Father’s call as they prepare for the beginning of Lent.

Our world is at a critical juncture of how we organize ourselves to respond to global crises of violence and existential destruction. The only sustainable path forward is rooted in nonviolence and places the needs of the poor and marginalized first. In the spirit of St. Francis, let us “begin again” and make this path by walking it.

Fraternally,

March 8, 2021 — In accordance with the Catholic-Franciscan tradition, which recognizes and celebrates the God-given dignity of every human being, the leadership of six provinces belonging to the Order of Friars Minor in the United States have added their support to a statement signed by Catholic bishops and dozens of religious orders and institutions that condemns bullying and other acts of violence toward LGBT youth.

Ten U.S. Catholic bishops signed a statement in January that supports the Tyler Clementi Foundation in its vital work of standing up for LGBT youth, who are vulnerable to and experience high rates of bullying, harassment, violence and suicide. In signing on to this statement, the leadership of the Franciscan friars reaffirmed their support of their LGBT sisters and brothers and condemned any form of violence against them.

The Franciscan leaders who signed the statement are Fr. Jim Gannon, OFM, of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province (based in Franklin, Wis.), Fr. Kevin Mullen, OFM, of Holy Name Province (New York City), Fr. Ron Walters, OFM, of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province (Albuquerque, N.M.), Fr. Thomas Nairn, OFM, of Sacred Heart Province (St. Louis, Mo.), Fr. David Gaa, OFM, of St. Barbara Province (Oakland, Calif.) and Fr. Mark Soehner, OFM, of St. John the Baptist Province (Cincinnati, Ohio).

The statement, “God Is on Your Side: A Statement from Catholic Bishops on Protecting LGBT Youth,” is below:

As we see in the Gospels, Jesus Christ taught love, mercy and welcome for all people, especially for those who felt persecuted or marginalized in any way; and the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that LGBT people are to be treated with “respect, compassion and sensitivity.”  

All people of goodwill should help, support, and defend LGBT youth; who attempt suicide at much higher rates than their straight counterparts; who are often homeless because of families who reject them; who are rejected, bullied and harassed; and who are the target of violent acts at alarming rates.

The Catholic Church values the God-given dignity of all human life and we take this opportunity to say to our LGBT friends, especially young people, that we stand with you and oppose any form of violence, bullying or harassment directed at you.   

Most of all, know that God created you, God loves you and God is on your side.


 

At a time when the COVID-19 virus has disproportionately attacked people of color, we have witnessed the killing of George Floyd and the protests, sometimes violent, which have occurred in our cities in its aftermath. Our hearts go out to all affected.

Even though, following in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, we decry violence and desire peace, we stand in solidarity with our outraged African American brothers and sisters who demand an end to the deadly violence of racism. We cannot be indifferent when their God-given dignity is violated.

As people of faith, we not only condemn the systemic racism that has led to these events, but we also re-dedicate ourselves to ending racial injustice in our provinces, in our Church, and in our nation and creating that space where Dr. Martin Luther King’s Beloved Community will flourish.

January 7, 2021    

Dear Brothers,

The six provincials (MP6) of the US-6 provinces have been meeting via ZOOM since Monday, January 4, 2021, in order to continue our discussions about the formation of a new coast-to-coast province in the United States.  Although our attention has been focused on the future, we cannot ignore the demands of the present time.

Today we put aside our agenda to discuss what unfolded in Washington, D.C. during the afternoon hours of January 6, 2021. As your brothers and as your Provincial Ministers, we want to share our thoughts with you and we invite you to share them with others as you see fit.

We began our discussion mindful of our identity as Friars Minor and as citizens of the U.S. We, Franciscan Friars are called to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ by following the example of St. Francis of Assisi. We have been in existence for over 800 years in multiple countries throughout the world. There are currently almost 900 of us living in the United States of America. As friars, we are committed to being instruments of peace and reconciliation for all of our sisters and brothers in the world. As United States citizens, we cherish the democratic values that our nation has tried to live since its foundation.

Our beliefs and our ideals do not blind us to what is experienced on a daily basis in our country. We are aware of the deep divides that have emerged between groups that hold divergent political ideologies, have differing financial status, and have different racial, ethnic, and religious heritages.

The deliberate attack of January 6, 2021 upon the U.S. Capitol building can be traced to all of these divisions. Sadly, this assault was a direct rejection of the democratic values that have held our nation together for over 240 years.

As citizens, we are angered and saddened by the actions of those who promoted and perpetrated this evil. Justice demands accountability for those who have rejected the “peaceful transition of power” that is called for by the Constitution of the United States of America. The list of violators in this unlawful action is not yet fully known, but there is no doubt that the words and the “tweets” of President Trump were responsible for inciting his supporters to violate the law and engage in violent and riotous behavior.

Responsible government officials must act now in a legal and non-partisan manner to restore the rule of law by holding the guilty accountable and offering them the opportunity to amend their ways.

As friars, we pledge to work with all who promote human dignity, the common good, and peaceful and respectful dialogue. We reject violence as a means to achieve a desired end and want to promote non-violent means to restore justice. We will pray for all our government officials, especially, President-elect Biden, that they will work together to heal the wounds within our country.

“Our wounds” are not only political. Sadly, as a nation, we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. This, too, is an urgent issue that faces our governmental leaders. We call upon all people of goodwill everywhere to unite in prayer and in action that will help to eradicate the pandemic so that people in the United States and throughout the world may once again experience the original goodness and joy that the Lord has called us to know and love.

Fraternally,

Fr. David Gaa, OFM, Province of Saint Barbara
Fr. James Gannon, OFM, Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Fr. Kevin Mullen, OFM, Province of the Holy Name
Fr. Thomas Nairn, OFM, Province of the Sacred Heart
Fr. Mark Soehner, OFM, Province of Saint John the Baptist
Fr. Ronald Walters, OFM, Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe
 

Provincial Minister Ron Walters, OFM, and five other leaders of provinces in the United States belonging to the Order of Friars Minor recently sent a letter to President Joe Biden imploring him to increase the United States’ efforts to end the violence in the Holy Land and address the causes of the conflict. Add your voice to this effort to bring peace by joining this action alert from Churches for Middle East Peace.

May 19, 2021

Dear President Biden,
We greet you with prayers of peace and goodwill, but also with heavy hearts for the people of Palestine and Israel who continue to suffer under the weight of violence.
The Holy Land holds a special place in our faith tradition and in our hearts, as we trust it does with you as a fellow Catholic. Central to our mission as Franciscans is to be peacemakers. As Franciscans, we have been present and serving people in the Holy Land for more than 800 years. Through our brothers stationed there, we witness the injustice, the suffering, and the violations of basic human rights of many people throughout Palestine and Israel as we minister to them. Our Franciscan brother, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa also cares for all the people of the Holy Land. He has emphatically called for peace and we are humbled to stand with him in our appeal to you and your administration for peacemaking action.
While we have appreciated your administration’s initial efforts to bring a cessation to the violence, more action is needed. The ongoing escalation of violence and human rights abuses, now in its second week, must come to an end. Your administration has consistently said that it will center human rights and the rule of law in its foreign policy decisions. We beg you to further translate these sentiments into action.
With this hope for peace in the Holy Land, we implore you to:

• • State unequivocally that the continuation of violence cannot persist or be tolerated by any actors. Please bring the full nonviolent power of the U.S. to end the violence.
  • Directly confront the ongoing impact of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories by publicly declaring that the U.S. opposes all settlement activity including in occupied East Jerusalem. Further, there must be a clear U.S. call for a respect of the religious freedom of people to worship in their holy sites.
  • Intervene directly with the Israeli government to ensure the immediate cancellation of all pending eviction orders in East Jerusalem, including the expulsion of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah. The Israeli security forces’ response to the nonviolent protest of these expulsions seems to have been one of the many sparks leading to the current horrific violence.
  • Support Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s (MN-4th) legislation, HR 2590, which calls for greater transparency in reviewing how Israel uses U.S. security assistance. This legislation will ensure that U.S. funds are not used to abuse Palestinian children, annex Palestinian land, or demolish Palestinian homes. If safeguards like these are not in place, we in the U.S. could be directly responsible for the death and injury of the people of Palestine.

We recognize that we are calling you to take more direct actions to confront Israeli governmental policies than previous administrations have; however, the enormous imbalance of power and the root cause of violence in Gaza, Jerusalem and other places in the Holy Land have grown to a point that requires this new level of urgent action. Now is the time for boldness to end the immediate violence. We must use the moral strength of the U.S. to support a nonviolent and sustainable solution in the region. The U.S. is a key player in finding such a solution rooted in justice, respect for basic human rights, and international law.
Be assured of our continued prayers for you and your administration as you seek the wisdom to navigate these difficult times. May you remain focused on a peace and hope that spring from justice.

Sincerely,

Fr. David Gaa, OFM, Province of Saint Barbara
Fr. James Gannon, OFM, Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Fr. Kevin Mullen, OFM, Province of the Holy Name
Fr. Thomas Nairn, OFM, Province of the Sacred Heart
Fr. Mark Soehner, OFM, Province of Saint John the Baptist
Fr. Ronald Walters, OFM, Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe