“My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,” Francis said.
“At the same time, we have to recognise that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost,” he said.
Francis asked Americans to implore God for “the national reconciliation and peace for which we yearn”.
On Tuesday night, protesters defied curfews across the US but there were fewer reports of the looting and violence that had soured street demonstrations in previous nights.
Tens of thousands of people gathered earlier on Tuesday in Houston to pay a hometown tribute to Floyd, who grew up in the Texas city and is to be buried there next week.
“Today is ... about George Floyd’s family. We want them to know that George did not die in vain,” Mayor Sylvester Turner told about 60,000 people.
A tearful Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyd’s six-year-old daughter, told a news conference she wanted “justice for him because he was good. No matter what anybody thinks, he was good”.
In New York, which on Tuesday prolonged its first curfew since World War 2 for the full week, hundreds of protesters refused to go home after the 8pm cut-off, instead chanting slogans and peacefully walking the streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Hours after the curfew, mayor Bill de Blasio said it was a “very calm situation,” a day after several Manhattan luxury stores were looted.
Minnesota took one of the first concrete actions to address the grievances behind the uprising, which began after Floyd’s death on May 25 in the state’s largest city, Minneapolis.
The state launched a civil rights investigation of the Minneapolis police department, looking at possible “systemic discriminatory practices” going back 10 years, Governor Tim Walz tweeted.
The officer who knelt on Floyd, Derek Chauvin, 44, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers involved were fired but have not been charged.
And in Los Angeles, one of dozens of cities hit by unrest, police officers and Mayor Eric Garcetti dropped to their knees in a symbolic act of solidarity as they met marchers led by African-American Christian groups.
Pope flays US racism, street violence
Image: AFP/ KYLE GRILLOT
Pope Francis has called for national reconciliation in the US, saying though racism is intolerable, the street violence that has broken out is “self-destructive and self-defeating”.
His comments came after standoffs between police and protesters stretched into the night in cities from New York to Los Angeles as anger over the death in police custody of George Floyd fuelled once-in-a-generation protests for the past week.
Francis broke his silence on the US turmoil on Wednesday by dedicating the entire English-language section of his weekly audience to the situation.
He called the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American who died after a white policeman pinned his neck under a knee for almost nine minutes, “tragic”.
Francis said he was praying for all who died as a result of the “sin of racism”, including Floyd.
“My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,” Francis said.
“At the same time, we have to recognise that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost,” he said.
Francis asked Americans to implore God for “the national reconciliation and peace for which we yearn”.
On Tuesday night, protesters defied curfews across the US but there were fewer reports of the looting and violence that had soured street demonstrations in previous nights.
Tens of thousands of people gathered earlier on Tuesday in Houston to pay a hometown tribute to Floyd, who grew up in the Texas city and is to be buried there next week.
“Today is ... about George Floyd’s family. We want them to know that George did not die in vain,” Mayor Sylvester Turner told about 60,000 people.
A tearful Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyd’s six-year-old daughter, told a news conference she wanted “justice for him because he was good. No matter what anybody thinks, he was good”.
In New York, which on Tuesday prolonged its first curfew since World War 2 for the full week, hundreds of protesters refused to go home after the 8pm cut-off, instead chanting slogans and peacefully walking the streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Hours after the curfew, mayor Bill de Blasio said it was a “very calm situation,” a day after several Manhattan luxury stores were looted.
Minnesota took one of the first concrete actions to address the grievances behind the uprising, which began after Floyd’s death on May 25 in the state’s largest city, Minneapolis.
The state launched a civil rights investigation of the Minneapolis police department, looking at possible “systemic discriminatory practices” going back 10 years, Governor Tim Walz tweeted.
The officer who knelt on Floyd, Derek Chauvin, 44, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers involved were fired but have not been charged.
And in Los Angeles, one of dozens of cities hit by unrest, police officers and Mayor Eric Garcetti dropped to their knees in a symbolic act of solidarity as they met marchers led by African-American Christian groups.
'Silence is compliance' - scores weigh in on racism as protests against murder of George Floyd continue
In Washington DC, thousands returned to the streets on Tuesday for a peaceful “Black Lives Matter” march.
Hours after the 7pm curfew, protesters could be heard chanting as National Guard troops stood on the streets near the White House and helicopters hovered above.
Broadcast footage showed police firing teargas shortly after midnight, but the situation appeared to be calm overall.
US President Donald Trump had earlier come under fire from Christian leaders who criticised him for using religious symbols as a backdrop for staged photo opportunities.
They condemned the administration’s forceful displacement of peaceful protesters near the White House on Monday so Trump could be photographed holding a Bible in front of an Episcopalian church.
Trump voiced glee on Twitter over the response in Washington and accused the leadership of New York — led by the rival Democratic Party — of succumbing to “lowlife and scum”. — Reuters, AFP
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