[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 92 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6605-S6606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            CHURCH BURNINGS

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, to burn a church is to destroy more than a 
building. Burning a church strikes at the

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soul of a community, at it most sacred place. These fires bring terror 
and tears to communities that often have known all too much of both. 
And we are all diminished in spirit by the despicable doings of a hate 
filled few.
  Yet even from such a cowardly and vile act, great good has sprung. I 
note that upon the publicizing of these burnings, there has been an 
outpouring of support for the beleaguered congregations, both to fund 
the rebuilding of the churches and to assist in the apprehension of the 
perpetrators. Reconstruction of the churches has become a community 
affair, with volunteers from across the Nation.
  Those who would burn a church should remember that to do so serves 
only to awaken a moral imperative to speak out and act against such 
violence. George Washington reflected the spirit of the Nation when he 
wrote in a letter to the congregation of Touro Synagogue of Newport, 
RI, that the Government of the United States ``gives to bigotry no 
sanction, to persecution no assistance.'' Today, 206 years later, 
Washington's words echo with renewed fervor across an outraged land.

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