Wisconsin Bishops Seek to Keep Guns Out of Church

MILWAUKEE (Reuters)- Wisconsin Catholic bishops are asking parishioners to avoid carrying guns into church, now that a new law permitting residents of the state to carry concealed weapons has gone into effect.

"Intuitively, we understand that acts of violence, destruction, and murder are antithetical to the message and person of Jesus Christ and have no rightful place in our society, especially sacred places," the bishops said in a statement on Monday on the eve of the law's Tuesday enactment.

"Whatever an individual parish decides to do regarding its policy on concealed weapons, we ask that all people seriously consider not carrying weapons into church buildings as a sign of reverence for these sacred spaces."

The statement was jointly issued by Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki and four other bishops from Madison, La Crosse, Green Bay and Superior. The bishops said a decision on whether to ban concealed weapons was up to individual churches

Reuters