SW News: The growing number of attacks on Asian origin Americans has made Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco issue a statement calling for peace and racial harmony.

In the statement issued on March 30, he expressed concern over the alarming and horrific violence against Asian people in the US. More disturbing are the assaults on Asian-Americans in San Francisco, he said.

“Our city has always been an epicentre of Asian-American culture, with recurring waves of Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, South Asian, and other immigrants overcoming discrimination and hardship to contribute to the rich tapestry of this city’s life,” he said in the statement, adding that the Catholic community is blessed to be enriched by many vibrant Asian communities, bringing vitality to people’s faith lives.

The archbishop said as Catholics, “we belong to a global faith community that is the most diverse and multicultural institution in the world and as Americans, we have a responsibility on the global stage to show respect for all people, affirming their human dignity”.

The archdiocese of San Francisco will hold a prayer service for racial harmony and peace on April 10 at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.

Over the last year, the number of hate crimes against people of Asian ethnicity has increased in the US and the most recent is the slaying of six women in a shooting spree in Atlanta earlier in March.