(New York) “On pondering the life and work of Reverend Martin Luther King, we have to ask us whether we are doing everything we can to build up the culture of love, respect and peace the Gospel is calling us to”. In the 50th anniversary of the murder of the father of civil rights, US bishops are wondering which actions have to be started “in the interest of our brothers and sisters, still suffering under the weight of racism. How could God guide our efforts to help us to change the hearts of those who nourish racist thoughts, or commit themselves to racist actions?”. Legitimate questions, above all, after cases of racism and discrimination, and after the public demonstrations of white supremacists paving the way to a problem which seemed to have been solved in American history; however, on the other hand, it is still an open wound.
Martin Luther King Jr. was killed on 4 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had come to support Afro-American sanitation workers, underpaid and exploited. In his final speech, the evening before his death, King had clearly mentioned the several threats he had got; he said he would like to live a long life, but the most important thing, for him, was following the will of God. The US Bishops Conference regards the life of Dr. King as an example and an inspiration exactly for the principle of non-violent resistance which has always animated his existence and his battles, even in front of threats, ridicule, or power acquiescence.
“Our faith leads us to be brave; to risk something of ourselves; to defend the dignity of our neighbour, done in the image of God – went on the bishops –. Quite often, Pope Francis reminds us that we should not sit on the sidelines before the great evil or the extreme need, even in case danger is all around us”. Honouring Dr Martin Luther King and preserving his heritage is “to commit ourselves more and more to following the will of God, anywhere it may lead when we are working for promoting justice”.