As chaotic demonstrations erupt across US, Catholic experts counsel nonviolence

(OSV News) -- The crowd of hundreds -- including clergy from many denominations, leaders and supporters of faith advocacy groups, and church congregants -- were peaceful and respectful when they gathered near the U.S. Capitol June 10 for a "Pentecost Witness for a Moral Budget."

But they were nonetheless stirred -- vocally urging Congress to protect Medicaid, SNAP food assistance benefits, and other programs targeted for what they say are crippling cuts in the Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), now under review in the U.S. Senate.

In defending the bill, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has called the claim it makes drastic cuts in medicaid "misinformation" and that Medicaid coverage for people who need it is not threatened.

But organizers of the vigil -- including Georgetown University's Center on Faith and Justice -- earlier declared, "Stripping support from the nation's most vulnerable communities in order to cut taxes for the rich is a moral tradeoff … followers of Jesus must not accept."

So what did they do?

They rallied in protest. And being people of faith, they did it nonviolently.

It's an important precept of Catholic citizenship: Ethical disagreement with public policy -- and a desire to peacefully change it -- is a worthy undertaking.

It's also in contrast to aggressive encounters recently breaking out across America -- in Los Angeles, where 4,000 U.S. National Guard troops and 700 Marines are deployed, in Minneapolis and in New York -- as communities physically react to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids detaining their neighbors who are in the country without legal documents.

Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez urged restraint.

"We all agree that we don't want undocumented immigrants who are known terrorists or violent criminals in our communities," Archbishop Gomez said June 9. "But there is no need for the government to carry out enforcement actions in a way that provokes fear and anxiety among ordinary, hardworking immigrants and their families."

Protests that began June 6 with relative calm have since escalated to scenes of burning cars, violent clashes with police and hundreds of arrests. Meanwhile, officials -- including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass -- maintain the chaos is limited to a small downtown section of the city.

"Living, speaking, and acting without violence is not giving up, it is not losing or giving up anything," Pope Francis said in April 2023, "but aspiring to everything."

How then, to effectively encourage change in a culture that too often resorts to force -- or ignores those who don't?

OSV News spoke with experts in peacebuilding to explore Catholic principles of nonviolent protest.

"If you are interested in joining a protest or demonstration," said Meghan J. Clark, professor of moral theology at St. John's University in Queens, New York. "I would urge Catholics to prepare."

Clark -- who previously wrote, "Protest is not merely about justice; it is an act of faith" -- suggests preparation in three key areas, particularly for action concerning immigration issues.

"First, information: Make sure you learn about what is going on. It is also important to know what to bring and what to leave at home," she advised. "Ignatian Solidarity Network and CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc.) are perfect places to start. They offer a wealth of information, practical guides and narrative stories."

Next, Clark counseled prayer.

"Prayer, discernment, and reflection are crucial to prepare oneself to engage in active nonviolent protest. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., developed principles of active nonviolence that I would urge Catholics to utilize in spiritually preparing themselves," she said. "When we prepare ourselves spiritually, then it is easier to resist fear, intimidation, and escalation in a tense situation."

And lastly, community.

"Participation in demonstrations is best done with others. Even if you do not know anyone else interested in going, when you join the demonstration, get to know your neighbors," Clark recommended. "In joining together to protest injustice, we create new moments of encounter and solidarity among each other."

Gerard Powers -- director of Catholic peacebuilding studies and coordinator of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network at Notre Dame University's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies -- agreed.

Powers cited the crucial role Catholics have had in nonviolent protests -- from People Power in the Philippines and Solidarity in Poland, to the anti-Iraq War protests in 2003 and the annual March for Life in Washington.

"To maintain the moral high ground and be effective, protests must remain nonviolent, organized and disciplined, and strategically focused on the injustice at issue," Powers explained. "If protests become random and associated -- even if unintentionally -- with violence, they should cease, and alternative means of opposing the injustice should be pursued."

Nor can protests be the only tool of opposition.

"Even effective nonviolent protests," Powers added, "have to be just one part of a much broader strategy to address injustice and promote the common good."

Judy Coode, director of communications for Pax Christi USA, stressed shared humanity and relationship building.

"When joining a public demonstration -- as in any interaction with others -- we acknowledge and respect others' humanity, even if we disagree," said Coode. "When we choose to respond with nonviolence, we are choosing to build relationships and to understand others, and we are focused on ending the injustice, not defeating a person or people."

Like Clark, Coode also urged preparation.

"In the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly teaches us to choose nonviolence -- and so we are committed to nonviolence," Coode confirmed. "All folks who hope to participate in public demonstrations in support of the common good -- Catholics; people of other faiths; those who do not claim a faith -- are strongly encouraged to learn more about and train in nonviolence, which has a deep and rich history yet is too often dismissed. But if more and more folks understand its efficacy and how it has been effective over the years," she added, "it will spread farther and wider."

All three had strong words about events in Los Angeles.

Clark was concerned about militarized intervention.

"Such an unwarranted escalation makes the community less safe, not more," she said. "The right to peacefully protest is essential in any democratic society."

Powers urged focus.

"The violence associated with the LA protests is illegitimate and counterproductive and has to be addressed," he confirmed. "But we can't let that distract us from the main issues at stake here: the Trump administration's unjust immigration policies, its heavy-handed efforts to stifle legitimate protests about a host of issues, and its moves to militarize domestic law enforcement."

Coode said Pax Christi USA is "deeply troubled by the attempts of the federal government to intimidate people who are vulnerable and marginalized, and are dismayed by the unwarranted and disproportionate use of force in the Los Angeles area."

Speaking in North Carolina June 10, President Donald Trump warned future immigration protests could be "met with equal or greater force."

Back in Washington, Adam Russell Taylor, a Baptist minister and president of Sojourners, made the "Moral Budget Vigil" participants a promise: "We are going to make some holy noise today, OK?"

Taylor was followed by dozens of speakers -- some with a prophetic word; others offering pertinent verses of Scripture -- occasionally punctuated by hymns.

Before processing to the steps of the U.S. Capitol -- where Sens. Rev. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Chris Coons, D-Del., joined participants -- Joan F. Neal, interim executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobby, echoed concerns of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which on May 20 labeled H.R. 1's provisions "unconscionable and unacceptable."

"We already know that this bill will hurt families, children, seniors, our immigrant brothers and sisters," Neal said. It will also, she further noted, "be the largest transfer of wealth from people with the lowest incomes to those with the highest incomes in the history of our country."

Neal then called out Catholic members of the Senate "to stay true to our faith values -- and to the principles of our Catholic social tradition."

The event was, in essence, a template for faithful nonviolent protest -- a group of leaders peacefully acting as what St. Oscar Romero once characterized as "a microphone for Christ."

While the impact is uncertain, optimism was nonetheless in the air -- and underscored a comment from Clark.

"Active nonviolent resistance," she observed, "is a profound act of faith and hope."