WASHINGTON — Religious and political leaders alike were quick to condemn the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13 at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and many used the moment to urge the nation to tone down some of its political rhetoric and seek unity.

 “There is no place in America for this kind of violence or any violence for that matter,” President Joe Biden said in televised remarks the morning of July 14. “The assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. Everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not American, and we cannot allow this to happen.”

“Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now,” he added, echoing a message that some, but not all politicians, similarly emphasized.

U.S. bishops around the country likewise spoke out with statements or reactions on social media condemning the shooting where a bullet grazed the former president’s ear, killed one participant, and critically injured two others.

The FBI identified the shooter, who was killed by the Secret Service, as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Crooks opened fire from a rooftop outside the rally’s perimeter with an AR-style rifle that was legally purchased and linked back to Crooks’ father, according to law enforcement officials. The FBI is still investigating Crooks’ motives but believes he acted alone. It also reported that suspicious devices had been found in the shooter’s home and vehicle that had been rendered safe by bomb technicians.

The rally, which was held at the Butler County Farm Show grounds in Western Pennsylvania, is in the Pittsburgh Diocese and was described by Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik as “right across the street from one of our churches.”

In a July 13 statement, the bishop said he was grateful “for the swift actions of the Secret Service and our local first responders” and urged people to join in prayer “for healing and peace, and for an end to this climate of violence in our world.”

The next day, he also issued a statement extending his condolences to the family of 50-year-old rally participant Corey Comperatore, described as a devout Christian who died from gunshot wounds while protecting his wife and two daughters at the rally. The bishop said Comperatore’s “selfless act in the face of danger speaks to his strength of character, deep faith, and dedication to serving others.”

Bishop Zubik stressed the need to pray “for unity and an end to violence and inflammatory rhetoric in our community and across our nation.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called for peace, urging people to “believe what you believe, to advocate for what you believe, and to be engaged in the political and civic process, but to always do so peacefully,” adding that “while we may be Democrats or Republicans above all else, we are Americans.”

Father Kevin Fazio, pastor of All Saints Parish in Butler, across the street from where the rally took place, similarly called for prayers in a message to parishioners on the parish website. He acknowledged there are “feelings of fear, hurt, anger, and sorrow in our community right now” and urged parishioners to “continue to pray for peace in our world, in our country, and right here at home.”

The plea for prayers for peace extended from the church across the street from the rally to the Vatican. A July 14 statement released by the Vatican press office said that the Holy See expressed its “concern about last night’s episode of violence, which wounds people and democracy, causing suffering and death.”

The statement also noted that the Vatican is “united in the prayer of the U.S. bishops for America, for the victims, and for peace in the country, so that the motives of the violent may never prevail.”

Speaking on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services and USCCB president offered prayers for Trump and other victims of the rally shooting. “We also pray for our country and for an end to political violence, which is never a solution to political disagreements,” he said.

Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn similarly called for prayers in a July 13 post on X and also said, “violence is never the answer and should play no part in our democracy.”

The next day, he spoke to Currents News before celebrating Mass at Our Lady of Solace Church in Coney Island and echoed his condemnation of the violence that had taken place at the campaign rally and also condemned the “division and rhetoric that raises the level of hatred” in this country.

“We are a people of different viewpoints, and our Democratic process is such a gift that we can debate things openly and then place our votes,” he said before calling on Catholics to pray for this election campaign season, for those who govern and for “all peoples of the United States that we will draw together in unity for the common good.”

The election campaign remains in full swing. The Republican National Convention takes place July 15-18 in Milwaukee, and Trump was welcomed by sustained cheers when he walked into the arena on the convention’s opening night with a bandage over his right ear. Earlier that day, he announced on social media that his running mate would be Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who is Catholic. 

The convention began with a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting and their families, and Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki also prayed for them when he led the evening session with an opening prayer.

As the convention was gearing up in the wake of the shooting, Biden’s campaign was working to pull down its television ads to be sensitive to the current situation. 

The Washington Post reported that the convention is expected to focus more on Trump’s “courage and his resilience” and that planners “want speakers to dial it down, not dial it up,” with their rhetoric. It also said someone who spoke with the former president said he was almost “spiritual” about his attempted assassination and believes he was “handed a gift from God” to be still alive.

On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump thanked everyone for their thoughts and prayers and said it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”

 Another major event in the country this week is the National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21 in Indianapolis. In a July 14 statement, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, the congress’s board chairman, offered prayers for Trump and those killed or injured in the rally shooting. He also assured those planning to attend the congress that the event would be safe. 

“We feel privileged to gather in prayer at a time with our Eucharistic Lord when our country and our world need this peace which comes only from him,” he said. “We will pray for healing of all divisions in our land and an end to violence.”