Trinity Wall Street statement on #OWS protestors

Trinity Church on Wall Street in Manhattan is right in the center of the disturbances taking place in lower Manhattan. The Rector has posted a statement on the parish website offering hospitality to the protestors and its hope that it can be a place of reconciliation.


St. Paul’s Cathedral in London did something similar over the weekend, with Canon Giles Fraser asking the London police to not harass the protestors gathered on the Cathedral close.

The Trinity Wall Street statement:

“For a number of weeks now, “Occupy Wall Street” protesters have encamped in Zuccotti Park, a square of open space just north of Trinity Church and south of St. Paul’s Chapel.

Trinity Wall Street respects the rights of citizens to protest peacefully and supports the vigorous engagement of the concerns that form the core of the protests – economic disenfranchisement and failure of public trust.

As a prayerful community with a deep history of relationships in Lower Manhattan, Trinity continues its pastoral outreach and welcomes any of those involved in the ongoing situation to parish spaces. Many protestors have found the opportunity for rest and revitalization in Charlotte’s Place, Trinity’s new neighborhood center, and have expressed deep appreciation for the hospitality there. We welcome any of those involved in the protest for pastoral care and reflection.

With its long history, Trinity is also a place where meaningful conversations between people with divergent viewpoints can happen. We also offer our meeting spaces to groups for conversations and forums on issues of public concern.

As the protest unfolds, I invite you to hold all those involved in your prayers: the protesters, neighborhood residents and business owners, the police, policy-makers, civic leaders, and those in the financial industry – all – and to consider the ways we might take steps in our own lives that improve the lives of others.”

From here.

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