Faith and Resistance Retreat -
Holy Week - 2006

About Scapegoats

About 75 people came to DC for the Holy Week Faith and Resistance retreat. We were particularly blessed to have a group of students on Spring break immersion from Loras College, in Dubuque, IA. and Sr. Margaret McKenna, Sr. Goretti and Juan and Richard from the New Jerusalem Community in Philadelphia, PA. Others came from Dayton, OH and Brooklyn, NY as well as a number of very welcome veteran and novice activists from Virginia and Maryland and D.C. itself.

On Wednesday evening, we heard Liz McAlister talk on the theme of the retreat:  Who are we betraying, arresting, torturing, and crucifying today?  With our week's actions, we tried to ask those questions and encourage others to think about them as well. Thursday morning we went to the Pentagon where Betsy Lamb, Brian DeRouen, and Susan Crane were arrested as they blocked a checkpoint by kneeling, holding a banner that said, "No Torture, No War."  Others hammered nails into a life-sized wooden cross, and then a hooded person in an orange jumpsuit stood as if crucified. We sang and prayed as workers entered the Pentagon that morning, some visibly affected by our witness. The arrestees were soon released and were able to rejoin the group that afternoon as we shared information on Iran, prisoners, and Sisters Ardeth, Carol, and Jackie's trip to Colorado. We were also welcomed by our hosts at Saint Stephen and the Incarnation Church who invited us to have dinner with them that evening. Afterward, Kathy Boylan introduced Jennifer Harbury, a DC lawyer who works against torture (Torture Abolition and Survivers Support Coalition).

On Good Friday, we started the day with a talk by Stephen Potts, formerly of the Air Force, now a conscientious objector. He shared his experiences in making the decision to become a Conscientious Objector, the process he went through, and what has since happened in his own life. We then went to the White House, where our theme for the day's witness was: Who is being convicted/tortured/killed today? Two people in orange jumpsuits carried our eight-foot cross on their backs, and the group followed them in solemn procession through the park. At the front of the White House we stopped and stood with our banners ("Whose torture and death are you planning this Holy Week?" and "Resist the US Empire's crucifixion of Afghanistan and Iraq and now its plan to invade Iran") singing and doing readings, as once again people dressed as detainees stood at the cross as if crucified.  The Park Police immediately told us that we could not have the cross on the sidewalk, but as they reflected, they said that they would give the "cross a pass" since it was Good Friday.  Several people were prepared to risk arrest, but the Park Police let us stay as long as we had planned without arresting us.

As we left Lafayette Park, we saw Sec.of State Condolezza Rice going into St. John's Episcopal Church for Good Friday services.  We called out to her to "Stop the torture, stop the war" and then thought to join her in prayer inside the church.  But we were not allowed into the service.  We stood outside in vigil, and had time for prayer and reflection.  Because of our presence, several Secret Service police were summoned who cleared the sidewalk in front of the church, pushing us to the side.  We waited, holding our banners (see pictures) until Condolezza Rice came out of the church.  We asked her, in the name of Jesus, to stop the torture, stop the killing, stop the war.

That evening, we joined a DC group in a demonstration in front of Vice President Cheney's house - the Naval Observatory.  The demonstration was organized by a group of people who are taking to the streets on a regular basis against torture. They do these actions animated by their faith and moral principles.

Then, on Saturday, we went to the White House again - with the same banners but with a lighter spirit. The Jonah House goats - Paul and Silas - joined the vigil, each wearing signs on his back pleading: "No more scapegoats!" "No War!" They were quite the drawing card, especially among the families visiting the White House. We heard many parents being asked: "What's a scapegoat?" Most of the answers were accurate. The goats' photographs will be in many homes across the country along with their plea to end the frightful practice of needing someone to blame for all our problems - especially someone who is different from us (presently most of the someones taking the blame and punishment are Arab people).  

Throughout the retreat, prayer and reflections appropriate to the theme were incorporated into each day's agenda.