Archbishop Elpidophoros of America attended the Black Lives Matter protest in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, to rally against the killing of Louisville EMT Breonna Taylor. The 26-year-old emergency medical technician had been killed when the police raided her Kentucky apartment in March.

He said: “I came here to Brooklyn today in order to stand in solidarity with my fellow sisters and brothers whose rights have been sorely abused. This was a peaceful protest, one without violence of any kind, and I thank all of those involved, because violence begets only more violence.”

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He had been invited to participate in the rally by Borough President of Brooklyn, Eric Leroy Adams, and State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “It is our moral duty and obligation to uphold the sanctity of every human being,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said. “We have faced a pandemic of grave physical illness, but the spiritual illness in our land runs even deeper and must be healed by actions as well as words. And so, I will continue to stand in the breach together with all those who are committed to preserving peace, justice, and equality for every citizen of goodwill, regardless of their race, religion, gender or ethnic origin.”