Enquirer News Update - Updated 6:40 p.m.
Diverse faiths join in prayer for city
By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Tears flowed from beneath a woman's sunglasses. A man put his hand
hand over his face. A couple wrapped their arms around each other's
shoulders.
Christians, Jews and Muslims from throughout the Tristate prayed
for Cincinnati's healing in consecutive religious events Friday at
Fountain Square.
First was Interfaith Prayers for Our City, sponsored by the
Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati (MARCC).
"When one of us is hurt, we all hurt. When one is oppressed, we
all are oppressed,'' the said Rev. Taylor Thompson, MARCC president
and pastor of Quinn Chapel AME Church in Forest Park. "When one of
us is healed, we all are healed.''
The 18th annual Way of the Cross/Way of Justice followed. It
recalls the Good Friday crucifixion of Jesus and normally follows a
procession through downtown and Over-the-Rhine, the neighborhood
hardest hit by three nights of rioting that followed the police
shooting death of an unarmed black man, Timothy Thomas.
The procession was not held this year because of safety concerns,
and the event was confined physically to the Fountain Square stage.
Still, several of the planned stations were especially poignant.
Members of Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church, in a station
initially planned for in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse,
prayed for equal protection under the law and equal access to the
law.
"Wealthy individuals and corporations have unequal influence in
law making and access to legislators, while many law enforcers still
practice racial profiling,'' a speaker said.
The response was, "Hate evil and love good; enthrone justice in
the courts.''
Cincinnati Police are being sued for racial profiling, and many
African-Americans say they are that black men are profiled as
criminals by police.
During the interfaith prayer service, several religious leaders --
white and black -- prayed for Mr. Thomas and his family, all
citizens, police officers and elected officials.
In his remarks, the Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson, bishop of the
Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, asked the 300 people in
attendance to observe two minutes of silence to pray for the city.
"Good Friday seems to be a contradiction,'' he said. "It is
about what occurred in a city 2000 years ago, the crucifixion of
Jesus. It was a time of fear and unrest. Two days later, Jesus was
raised from the dead, and the last word was God's.''
Ilyas Nashid, Iman of the Cincinnati Islamic Center, read from the
Koran that God made mankind from a single man and woman into
"nations and tribes that should know each other.''
After the service, Cincinnati Catholic Archbishop Danial Pilarczyk
connected the week's civic unrest with Holy Week and the Christian
belief of Jesus' resurrection.
"What we celebrate is that Jesus died for our sins, and all this
suggests there's still a lot of sin,'' he said. "Not all right is on
one side or the other. There's plenty of blame to go around.
"Redemption is still going on.''
