US Bishop seeks closer ties among people in the wake of Sikh shooting

August 11, 2012: The recent shooting that claimed the lives of six members of a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and the burning of a mosque in Missouri point to the need for people of faith to develop closer ties with each other, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden of Baltimore also called on Catholics to see Sikhs as countrymen and brothers during a teleconference on Friday.
"This is an event that does not affect us as individuals, but as a whole community," Bishop Madden said of the Aug. 5 incident at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in suburban Milwaukee in which an armed attacker opened fire as members gathered for services. Speaking during a nationwide teleconference, Bishop Madden said that the U.S. Catholic Church has been part of an interfaith dialogue with Sikh leaders since 2006. The discussions have led to a "very warm and fruitful friendship," he said. "I am greatly saddened by this event," the bishop added.
The teleconference, organized by Shoulder to Shoulder, an interfaith organization dedicated to ending anti-Muslim sentiment, included Muslim and other Christian leaders, all of whom pointed to the need for solidarity with Sikhs.