Choosing Nonviolence

We join our sisters in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) to raise “…a clear and unwavering moral voice: violence is not the Gospel response.”

We, the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago, stand firm in our “support of comprehensive immigration reform”… and “support actions aimed at promoting the dignity and well being of those seeking the opportunity for productive lives in our nation” (Statement in Support of Immigrants, 2013).

Over many years we have watched as immigration enforcement has become increasingly dehumanizing and militarized. More recently, this has cost lives.

As a community that prays for peace and is against military overspending, gun violence, and the death penalty, we know that the deaths of anyone due to immigration tactics and without due process are unjust and immoral.

As sisters who participate in public witness in support of immigration reform, the January shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota are unjust and immoral.

As the LCWR statement "Choosing Nonviolence as Gospel Witness" reads, “Across the globe and within our own communities — from Ukraine to Minneapolis — we see the tragic consequences of aggression. Violence does not resolve conflict or restore peace; it deepens wounds and multiplies suffering. Nonviolence, by contrast, requires profound interior strength and sustained commitment. It must be cultivated personally and communally, and practiced intentionally within social, political, and global systems…

Women religious have long understood this truth through lived experience. Since arriving in what would become the United States in 1727, congregations of women religious have participated in the shaping of this nation... [After our Benedictine congregation arrived in the U.S. from Germany in 1852, we taught and served immigrant populations in Chicago for over 100 years.]

In continuity with this witness, we unequivocally denounce the use of violence in any form. We call upon individuals and communities — and especially those entrusted with leadership in local, state, and federal government — to choose paths that uphold human rights, protect democratic processes, and honor the dignity of life at every stage…

We pledge to make visible the Gospel through advocacy for nonviolence, racial justice, humane immigration policies, and care for our common home. Our hope does not rest in force or fear, but in the transformative power of love lived boldly and together.”

We pray for those who are suffering as a result of violence, and we know that our communities deserve to feel peace and safety.

Read Full LCWR Statement