{"id":12509,"date":"2020-07-23T07:53:40","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T11:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/?p=12509"},"modified":"2020-07-23T07:53:40","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T11:53:40","slug":"i-cant-breathe-an-invitation-to-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/i-cant-breathe-an-invitation-to-prayer\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d: an invitation to prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/etc\/designs\/vatican-news\/release\/library\/main\/images\/vatican-news-header-white.png\" alt=\"Vatican News\"\/>                                                                                                                                                                <\/p>\n<figure>                                                                                                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2020\/07\/22\/23-luglio--PREGHIERA-on-line-UISG-religiose-suore-x-malati-da-Covid.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg\" alt=\"Worldwide online prayer &quot;I Can&#039;t Breathe&quot;\"\/>                            Worldwide online prayer &quot;I Can&#039;t Breathe&quot;                                                     <\/figure>\n<p>                                     CHURCH<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>                                                Coronavirus                                        <\/li>\n<li>                                                solidarity                                        <\/li>\n<li>                                                religious                                        <\/li>\n<li>                                                prayer                                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>                      \u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d: an invitation to prayer          An online initiative on Thursday is an invitation to all men and women of goodwill to participate in a worldwide prayer for all those affected by Covid-19 and by injustice.                                    <\/p>\n<p>By Linda Bordoni<\/p>\n<p>With the poignant and powerful title \u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d we are all invited to join an online prayer, promoted by religious around the world, for all those who are suffering from Covid-19 and from the injustice that may be preventing their adequate care.  <\/p>\n<p>The initiative comes to life thanks to the collaborative effort of the International Union of Superiors General in Rome (UISG) with the Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean Religious (CLAR), and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States (LCWR).<\/p>\n<p>Sr. Mary Barron, Superior General of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles, told Linda Bordoni the initiative stemmed from the desire \u201cto bridge the sense of solitude and isolation&quot; experienced in lockdown, \u201cto support each other and to reinforce a sense of sisterhood\u201d in this time of global suffering. <\/p>\n<p>           listen to Sr. Mary Barron      <audio src=\"https:\/\/media.vaticannews.va\/media\/audio\/s1\/2020\/07\/22\/20\/135664356_F135664356.mp3\"><\/audio>     <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s designed as a space of prayer and blessing for all those who have lost their lives or who are suffering from Covid symptoms right now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Sr. Barron noted that the pandemic has had levels of impact at different stages throughout the globe and that at this point the focus is particularly of countries like Brazil, Mexico, the US, India, South Africa, Egypt, Peru, Chile: \u201cthose who are at the worst moment of the pandemic for them\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2>\u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Sr. Barron pointed to the particularly poignant and evocative title of the prayer initiative, \u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d, and to its clear reference to the injustice suffered by George Floyd when he was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on 25 May. That killing triggered widespread demands for racial justice, in the US and beyond, and demonstrations with thousands of protesters carrying placards with the words \u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d: Floyd\u2019s last words as he was being suffocated to death by a police officer kneeling on his neck.<\/p>\n<p>That title, she said, \u201cis very, very striking and it was chosen specifically to be striking\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>She noted that it resonates at two levels: the first being that it immediately recalls a very vivid and live injustice \u201cand that makes us think also of the injustice that many people around the world experience especially with this pandemic, where they don\u2019t have adequate treatment and healthcare\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Here in Italy, for example, Sr. Barron remarks, we are very privileged and blessed to have a good system that has done its utmost to care for people, although we witnessed the terrible impact of the virus on patients and their families. <\/p>\n<h2>Injustice and lack of health-care<\/h2>\n<p>But in other parts of the world, she said, \u201caccess to healthcare is not as easily available, and that depends a lot in which country you are born into, and whether you have access [to healthcare] or not&quot;.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo that injustice of not having the right to adequate healthcare will be recalled in the online \u2018I Can\u2019t Breathe\u2019 prayer,&quot; she said.<\/p>\n<p>And of course, she continued, it is also linked with the fact that the Covid-19 virus directly affects the lungs and breathing.<\/p>\n<p>So, she said, the online prayer is an opportunity to tune in to \u201cthe whispers of those people who have died, isolated from their families, especially the poor,\u201d as well as many anonymous people who have died.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe their final words were: I can\u2019t breathe\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n<h2>Giving voice to the voiceless<\/h2>\n<p>Sr. Barron reiterated the concept of widespread injustice this initiative aims to highlight: \u201cBreathing helps us to speak. We can have loud voices because we can control our breathing. And often, in the face of injustice, we can\u2019t breathe: we are voiceless, we are helpless, and it really catches us in the throat\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>So, she said, as religious, \u201cWe sense that helplessness, that voicelessness when a sister or a brother doesn\u2019t have fundamental rights, when people are living in situations of violence and are helpless and powerless to react\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>She explained that as religious they try to walk with people, sharing their joys and sorrows, and so for them, \u201cthis is about solidarity, sharing that solidarity across the world with our sisters; coming together to pray, in sisterhood; praying for our world and especially for those most affected\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Sr. Barron revealed that during the prayer there will be some words, there will be music that invites contemplation and deeper listening, there will be testimonies from different parts of the world. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s open to anyone who really would like to carve out a space to stop and pray with us,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don&#039;t expect miracles,\u201d she concluded, \u201cBut we wish to nourish our own spirituality, to give us the strength to face this difficult pandemic time with patience; and to be able &#8211; and ready &#8211; to accompany those who are most fragile and vulnerable.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>You can join the online worldwide prayer on Thursday, 23 July, starting at 3 pm Rome time, by logging in to the UISG website where you will find a link to participate.<\/p>\n<p>                     invitation to prayer                                                 <\/p>\n<figure>                                                                                                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/etc\/designs\/vatican-news\/release\/library\/main\/images\/support-comunicazione-banner.png\" alt=\"Your contribution for a great mission:support us in bringing the Pope&#039;s words into every home\" title=\"Your contribution for a great mission:support us in bringing the Pope&#039;s words into every home\"\/>                                       <\/figure>\n<p>                 Your contribution for a great mission:<br \/>support us in bringing the Pope&#039;s words into every home                                         Topics          <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>                                                Coronavirus                                        <\/li>\n<li>                                                solidarity                                        <\/li>\n<li>                                                religious                                        <\/li>\n<li>                                                prayer                                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>                                                    23 July 2020, 07:50              <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>                              Send                      <\/li>\n<li>                              Print                      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Worldwide online prayer &#8220;I Can&#039;t Breathe&#8221; CHURCH Coronavirus solidarity religious prayer \u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d: an invitation to prayer An online initiative on Thursday is an invitation to all men and women of goodwill to participate in a worldwide prayer for all those affected by Covid-19 and by injustice. By Linda Bordoni<br \/>\n With the poignant and powerful title \u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d we are all invited to join an online prayer, promoted by religious around the world, for all those who are suffering from Covid-19 and from the injustice that may be preventing their adequate care.<br \/>\n The initiative comes to life thanks to the collaborative effort of the International Union of Superiors General in Rome (UISG) with the Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean Religious (CLAR), and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States (LCWR).<br \/>\n Sr. Mary Barron, Superior General of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles, told Linda Bordoni the initiative stemmed from the desire \u201cto br..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d: an invitation to prayer - WORLD CATHOLIC NEWS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/i-cant-breathe-an-invitation-to-prayer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d: an invitation to prayer - WORLD CATHOLIC NEWS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Worldwide online prayer &quot;I Can&#039;t Breathe&quot; CHURCH Coronavirus solidarity religious prayer \u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d: an invitation to prayer An online initiative on Thursday is an invitation to all men and women of goodwill to participate in a worldwide prayer for all those affected by Covid-19 and by injustice. By Linda Bordoni With the poignant and powerful title \u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d we are all invited to join an online prayer, promoted by religious around the world, for all those who are suffering from Covid-19 and from the injustice that may be preventing their adequate care.  The initiative comes to life thanks to the collaborative effort of the International Union of Superiors General in Rome (UISG) with the Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean Religious (CLAR), and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States (LCWR). 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