UPDATE: Catholic leaders in Pennsylvania pray for governor after arson attack

CNA Staff, Apr 14, 2025 / 15:32 pm (CNA).

Catholic leaders in Pennsylvania have expressed shock and offered prayers after a man was arrested and charged for allegedly attempting to murder Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family by setting the governor’s residence ablaze early Sunday morning.

Cody Balmer, 38, allegedly managed to scale an iron security fence and enter the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, quickly setting a fire in a dining room using improvised incendiary devices, police said at a press conference on Monday. Shapiro and his family were able to escape unharmed, but the residence was heavily damaged.

The incident took place in Harrisburg, the state capital. Bishop Timothy Senior of Harrisburg in an April 14 statement said the attack “struck at the very heart of our shared values as a society.”

“I want to unequivocally state that all forms of hate are unacceptable. They have no place in our hearts, our homes, or our communities. Such acts of violence and intolerance threaten the fabric of our society and undermine the principles of love, respect, and understanding that all people of faith are called to embody,” Senior said. 

At a press conference Sunday, Shapiro, an observant Jew who had celebrated a Passover Seder with his wife, four children, and extended family at their home the night before the attack, said he was “overwhelmed by the prayers and messages of support” and vowed not to be deterred if, in fact, the suspect was attempting to intimidate him because of his Jewish faith. 

“No one will deter me, or my family, or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly,” Shapiro said. 

Balmer told police he planned to beat Shapiro with a sledgehammer if he had found him inside the house. Prosecutors have charged Balmer with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and other crimes, NPR reported. He may face federal charges as well. 

Police have not announced whether they have uncovered a motive for the attack other than saying Balmer “admitted to harboring hatred towards Gov. Shapiro.” The suspect’s mother told the Associated Press that her son “wasn’t taking his medicine” at the time of the attack. 

Harrisburg’s Bishop Senior went on to say that as Catholics, “we must be committed to the eradication of any form of hatred, including antisemitism,” and called on his flock to seek to create an environment where “the God-given dignity of every person is respected.”

“I am saddened that any form of political violence, let alone violence that is motivated by an attempt to suppress or intimidate a family because of their religion, is found in our community — especially at this time that is so sacred to our Jewish brothers and sisters and also to all of us as Christians as we celebrate Holy Week,” Senior continued. 

“Our prayers are with the Shapiro family and their guests, whose faithful observance of the sacred tradition of their faith was grievously violated by this act. We Christians must stand in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters in all circumstances, but especially this year as the observance of the days of Passover coincides with the most sacred days of the Christian liturgical calendar, Holy Week, the week leading us to our Easter celebration.”

Bishop David Zubik of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, in his own statement, similarly called to mind the shared patrimony of the Christian and Jewish people.

“Particularly during this Holy Week for Christians and Passover time for the Jewish people, we focus on the deep love that God has for all of us. We must be deeply grateful that Gov. Shapiro and his family are safe, and we must also pray for an end to violence, which goes against everything good about us as human beings,” Zubik said.

This story was updated April 15, 2025, at 6:06 p.m. ET with the statement from Harrisburg Bishop Timothy Senior.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263365/update-catholic-leaders-in-pennsylvania-pray-for-governor-after-arson-attack