“We condemn in the strongest terms this action and affirm that hate has no place in our country, our city, and our hearts,” the archbishop of Chicago said.
Cardinal Blase Cupich decried the burning of a large cross in Grant Park in Chicago after video of the incident surfaced online.
“Burning crosses, dramatic expressions of hatred designed to terrorize, were once sadly commonplace in our country,” Cupich said in a June 10 statement. “Yesterday, we were reminded that the sickness of spirit they symbolize exists not only in the pages of history but in our present day. Seeing a burning cross in one of Chicago’s most-visited public parks was shocking but not surprising.”
Cupich’s statement comes after video footage circulated online of a large cross being burned along a sidewalk in the Loop at Grant Park.
According to a June 11 community alert from the Chicago Police Department (CPD), the incident took place at 2:38 p.m. on June 9. CPD also released images of the suspect, a shirtless male with a black backpack, fleeing the scene.
CPD confirmed to EWTN the suspect has not yet been apprehended.
“We condemn in the strongest terms this action and affirm that hate has no place in our country, our city, and our hearts,” Cupich said. “We pledge to work with our city’s faith and community leaders to redouble our efforts to share the Gospel message that we are all children of God, made in his image.”
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