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Cardinal Dolan was scheduled to host a meeting of senior religious leaders from across the city Aug. 20 at his Manhattan residence at the request of Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The meeting’s purpose was to assuage difficulties between the police and community following the recent death of Eric Garner on Staten Island.
According to news reports, Garner, 43, died July 17 after a New York City police officer allegedly put him in a prohibited chokehold during an arrest.
Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton were also scheduled to attend the interfaith gathering of faith leaders from across the city.
“I am grateful for Mayor de Blasio’s invitation to host a group of religious leaders from throughout New York City, who will come together to try to be a source of continued healing and reconciliation between our police force and the community it serves,” the cardinal said in a statement.
He said he looked forward to serving alongside pastors, rabbis and imams, as well as with the mayor, police commissioner and the NYPD.
“Religion and faith are powerful agents for what is good and unifying in the human spirit, and I know I speak for my fellow religious leaders in expressing appreciation for the Mayor’s sensitivity to the role that the faith community in New York can play at this time of need,” the cardinal added.
The mayor, in a statement, said he was honored the cardinal agreed to host the gathering “to help us drive together towards our shared goal of a city that is just, compassionate and safe for all. We believe in one city. And we believe that city is strongest when communities and the men and women that protect them work together in common purpose.”
There is a tremendous need for healing at this moment, the mayor said. “And our faith leaders play a powerful role, not only at the pulpit but out in our communities, in bringing people back together.”
