Catholic leaders call for prayer, peace and justice after deadly arrest in Memphis

Catholics call for prayer, justice as video of Memphis Black man’s deadly arrest released

By Gina Christian

OSV News

 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (OSV News) — Catholics in Memphis, Tenn., and throughout the nation are joining in prayer while calling for justice, as disturbing images of a police arrest turned fatal in that city were released late Jan. 27.

Five former Memphis police officers have been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, misconduct and oppression in the Jan. 7 apprehension and subsequent death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, a young Black man who worked for FedEx and was the father of a 4-year-old boy.

Now, the city is bracing itself for protests as police body camera footage of the arrest is released on YouTube the evening of Jan. 27. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, speaking in a Jan. 26 video statement, described the footage as “heinous, reckless and inhumane” treatment of Nichols by the five former officers, all of whom also are Black.

Attorney Ben Crump, representing the family of Tyre Nichols, a young Black man who was killed by Memphis police officers that beat him severely during a traffic stop, speaks during a press conference at Mt. Olive Cathedral CME Church in Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 27, 2023. (OSV News photo/Alyssa Pointer, Reuters)

In Baltimore, Archbishop William E. Lori issued a statement calling for peace: archbalt.org/archbishop-lori-calls-for-prayer-peace-after-release-of-tyre-nichols-video/

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the “use-of-force incident” with the former officers resulted in Nichols’ Jan. 10 death in a nearby hospital. Two city Fire Department employees who responded to Nichols’ medical distress also have been relieved of duty. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Shelby County District Attorney’s office and the Department of Justice are investigating the case.

“This was not just a professional failing,” Davis said in her statement. “This was a failing of basic humanity toward another individual. … I expect you to feel outrage in the disregard of basic human rights.”

Both Davis and Nichols’ family have called for peaceful demonstrations, as has President Joe Biden, who spoke by telephone with Nichols’ mother and stepfather earlier Friday.

The Diocese of Memphis invited faithful to a Jan. 27 noontime rosary for peace at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Memphis Bishop David P. Talley posted several messages on Twitter urging prayers for the city.

“God is our refuge, we plead for peace in our city,” read one social media graphic on the bishop’s Twitter feed. “We pray for a spirit of unity, love, and peace to drive our thoughts, actions, and words.”

OSV News contacted the Diocese of Memphis for additional comment but had not yet heard back by as of publication time.

In a Jan. 27 statement provided to OSV News, the Dominican Friars of Memphis — who have care of both St. Peter Church and the adjacent St. Martin de Porres National Shrine and Institute — said they “join (the) community in praying for the soul of of Tyre Nichols and for the comfort of his family during this horrible time.”

The friars said “for over 182 years, the friars and parishioners of St. Peter have seen some of the worst scenes in our city’s history,” including “the bloodshed of the Civil War, the tragic outbreak of yellow fever, the assassination of one of our nation’s brightest lights, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and now this senseless act of violence resulting in the death of Tyre Nichols.”

The Dominicans have nonetheless “remained at St. Peter preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” and now “join Tyre Nichols’ family in praying for peace this weekend and for justice in these months and years ahead.”

The Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, the world’s oldest and largest historically Black Catholic fraternal order, also issued a Jan. 27 statement, assuring their “prayers and love are with (Nichols’) family and loved ones.”

With Nichols’ death being one of several high-profile police-related fatalities involving Black Americans – including the May 2020 death of George Floyd, which sparked international protests — the Catholic fraternal order also declared that “on too many levels and in too many different ways, the sanctity of human life is increasingly devalued and disrespected.

“We must identify and root out the evil, hypocritical cultures that plague our country. The time for corrective action is long overdue,” said the Clavers’ statement. “We no longer ask ‘Why?’ We now demand the end of these merciless murders which show a stark lack of regard for the most precious gift of life.”

A new Bishop for Alexandria LA

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral - Alexandria

Pope Names New Bishop of Alexandria, Louisiana, USA

Father Robert W. Marshall, a Priest of the Diocese of Memphis

April 21, 2020 17:17ZENIT StaffPope & Holy See

Pope Francis has named Father Robert W. Marshall, a priest of the Diocese of Memphis as the Bishop of Alexandria.

The Diocese of Alexandria has been a vacant see since March 2019.

Bishop-elect Marshall was born in Memphis, Tennessee on June 17, 1959, and ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 2000, for the Diocese of Memphis. He attended Christian Brothers University in Memphis (1977-1980) where he received a Bachelor of Arts in History. In 1983, he received a Juris Doctorate from the Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis, and a Master of Divinity from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans in 2000. Prior to entering seminary, Father Marshall worked as a civil attorney.

Father Marshall’s assignments in the Diocese of Memphis after ordination include Parochial Vicar at Incarnation Church in Collierville (2000-2002); Pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Humboldt and St. Matthew Parish in Milan (2002-2004); Pastor at Church of the Ascension in Memphis (2004-2012); Pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Cordova (2012-2017); and Parochial Administrator at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Memphis (2017-2019). Since 2019, Bishop-elect Marshall has served as Vicar General for the Diocese of Memphis and Pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

The Diocese of Alexandria is composed of 11,108 square miles in the State of Louisiana and has a total population of 389,837 of which 35,402 are Catholic.

A new Bishop for Memphis

US: Pope Francis Names New Bishop of Memphis

Bishop David P. Talley, Bishop of Alexandria

March 05, 2019 17:06ZENIT StaffCatholic Church

Pope Francis on March 5, 2019, appointed as bishop of the diocese of Memphis, Bishop David P. Talley, bishop of Alexandria.

Bishop David Prescott Talley was born on September 11, 1950, in Columbus, Georgia, in the diocese of Savannah. After attending Hardaway High School, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Auburn University, Alabama, and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. He worked as a social worker for several years. He then entered the seminary and carried out his ecclesiastical studies at the Saint Meinrad School of Theology in Saint Meinrad, Indiana (1985-1989). He later obtained a licentiate (1995) and a doctorate (1997) in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

He was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Atlanta on June 3, 1989. Since ordination he has held the following positions: parish vicar of the Saint Jude the Apostle parish in Sandy Springs (1989-1993); director of priestly vocations (1998-2001); chancellor (1999-2001); administrator of Saint Matthew parish in Tyrone (2001); judicial vicar (2001-2003); director of the Saint Thomas Aquinas parish in Alpharetta (2003-2006); parish vicar of the Saint Anne parish in Columbus (2006-2007); parish priest of Saint John Neumann parish in Lilburn (2007-2011); member of the archdiocesan Hispanic Ministry Board (2008-2011); parish priest of Saint Brigid Parish in Johns Creek (2011-2013).

In 2000 he was named Prelate of Honour of His Holiness.

He was appointed as titular bishop of Lambesi and auxiliary of Atlanta on January 3,  2013, and received episcopal consecration on April 2, 2013.

As auxiliary bishop he served as vicar general and vicar for the clergy.

He was appointed as coadjutor bishop of Alexandria, Louisiana, on September 21, 2016, and on February 2, 2017, he was appointed as ordinary.

Within the Episcopal Conference, he is a member of the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, of the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection, of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and of the Special Assembly Planning Committee, and is Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

In addition to English, he speaks Spanish.

An EWTN interview with an ousted Bishop

This is a video worth watching:


http://wdtprs.com/blog/2018/11/urgent-must-watch-arroyo-with-removed-bishopmdholley-and-superb-synod2018-analysis/

Breaking overnight: The Pope removes the Bishop of Memphis TN

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Pope Francis has forcibly removed the bishop of Memphis, Tennessee, Monsignor Martin Holley, following a Vatican investigation into the diocese.

The Vatican didn't say why Holley was removed. In a brief announcement Wednesday, the Vatican said only that Francis had "relieved (Holley) from the pastoral governance" of the diocese and named Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz to replace him temporarily until a new bishop is named.

The phrasing in the announcement is commonly used by the Vatican when the pope forcibly removes a bishop who refuses to resign voluntarily.

Earlier this year, the Vatican dispatched two archbishops to investigate Holley's actions since he became bishop in 2016, news reports said at the time. One of Holley's deputies resigned suddenly in June.

The results of the Vatican investigation haven't been made public.

A brand new Bishop for Memphis Tennessee

Pope Names New Bishop in the United States

Bishop David Holley to Head Diocese of Memphis, Tennessee

August 23, 2016ZENIT StaffVatican Dicasteries/Diplomacy

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS - Kmccoy

Pope Francis has appointed a new bishop in the United States. The Holy See announced today that the Pope appointed Bishop Martin David Holley as bishop of Memphis, Tennessee.
He succeeds Bishop James Terry Steib, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
Born in Pensacola, Florida in 1954, Martin David Holley would go on to study at Alabama State University, the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., and Saint Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida. He was ordained a priest in 1987.
Bishop Holley served in a number of pastoral roles in Florida, including parish vicar, director of the diocesan department for questions of ethics, and member of education and vocations boards and commissions, and of the presbyteral council, among several others.
Prior to his appointment as Bishop of Memphis, he was serving as Titular Bishop of Rusubisir and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.
The American diocese of Memphis comprises an area of some 27,585 kilometers. According to the most recent statistics in 2013, out of a population of some 1,595,650, some 77,800 (less than 5 percent), are Catholic. They are served by some 82 priests, 50 permanent deacons, and nearly 100 religious