In Fredricksburg, Virginia, members of the Episcopal Church joined other religious and community leaders in a Civil War-era church to mark the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori led a service asking for forgiveness for the church’s role in promoting and justifying slavery. She spoke of the need to continue combatting all forms of prejudice.
Presiding Bishops Katharine Jefferts Schori: “We will never be set completely free until all of us are freely and fully able to enjoy all the blessings of this life…until there is justice for all.”
The service included a march through historic Fredericksburg, where a statue was dedicated. It is located near the former site of a slave auction block.