Church leaders blame violent culture, video games, bullying, victimization for shooting in Santa Fe

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA

Contact: PRESS OFFICEStavros Papagermanos
pressoffice@goarch.org
Date: May 21, 2018

  

ARCHDIOCESE STATEMENT ON SANTA FE HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING

NEW YORK – The mass school shooting at Santa Fe High School, in the small town of Santa Fe, Texas, last Friday May 18, 2018, has once again brought shock, sorrow and anger to the whole country and the world.

We, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, mourn the tragic loss of life of the 10 victims of this abominable murderous act, eight high-school students and two teachers and we share the deep pain and grief of their families and friends. Our fervent prayers and thoughts are with all of them, the victims, their families and their friends.

This time, the burden is heavier and the pain is sharper because the alleged seventeen-year old perpetrator of this crime has been identified as a Greek-Orthodox, and his family as members of one of our parishes. We pray for him and his family as well.

This unacceptable and totally unthinkable school massacre is yet another one in a series, it is an epidemic of violent crimes that has overtaken our society and country. It is the result of an explosive mix of the proliferation of the culture of violence, violent video games, bullying and victimization of our youth, desensitization to crime, devaluing of human life and easy access to readily available guns. The question arises and we have posed it last time and we now have to ask again, whether we have done all we can to stop this epidemic disease.

How many more victims, how many more school children, how many more teenagers and teachers should die before we act?

We turn to prayer of course, for Almighty God to intervene and avert any repetition of such heinous acts and events, but as we find ourselves, once again, in need of offering words of comfort and solace, words of solidarity and hope to those who were directly affected by the events in Santa Fe, Texas, we wholeheartedly plead with our elected officials for immediate and effective action.

May we all heal with the assistance of the God of mercy and wisdom and may we work to achieve positive results to restore hope to our society and the world.

Royal bride exudes success; was not sidetracked by past

Meghan Markle kept her eyes on the prize and now is an African American/British princess.

If there's a takeaway I've gleaned from Saturday's royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, it's the notion that you should not get hampered by the past, but keep pushing forward with a smile. Her ancestors were slaves, but now she's Her Royal Highness.

At 36, Markle has become the bride of Prince Harry and gained respect, notoriety, and fortune. She was walked down the aisle by a prince, too. With her presentation, all things are deemed possible in the Universe, depending on fate and determination.

And even though I didn't get a chance to go to the wedding, I experienced it on television and via messages from my friend in England who also sent me a picture of the dessert she enjoyed to celebrate the royal nuptials while visiting her mum in London.

Lemon drizzle cake, blueberries, and homemade apricot and strawberry compote were enjoyed by regular citizens at home during the wedding ceremony.

I also received a copy of the wedding program of The Royal Highness Prince Harry of Wales and Ms. Markle which I'm going through presently. 

Will update later.