Reverend John L. McCullough on the Capitol Insurrection


January 6, 2021

Washington, D.C.—In response to today’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Church World Service President and CEO Rev. John L. McCullough issued the following statement:

“CWS has long espoused the importance of peaceful protest. In every society people should be endowed with the right to air  grievances, and government should honor them by acknowledging their voice. At the same time, protest should not devolve into injustice or chaos.That poses a threat to our humanity and the strength of any society.

“It is astounding that the U.S. Capitol was breached and occupied, and the House of Representatives and the Senate were sequestered. Leaders who exhort people to protest and violence must be held to account. When they are not this is the type of outcome or worse that can ensue. That is why the ‘American Experiment’ is so important around the world.

“However imperfect the United States is, the American people have stood the cause for justice and right action. A faultline has now been revealed in the body politic and within America’s most enduring values. Efforts to decertify the voice of a nation is more than just sad, it tears the delicate fabric that holds people together. What has unfolded now is a chapter in history that will never be erased or ever found to be noble.”

For more information contact Church World Service at media@cwsglobal.org.