In recent months the world has been confronted with deeply disturbing revelations about grave corruption and exploitation within powerful circles of influence. Crimes against the innocent – particularly against children – have been exposed in ways that have shocked the conscience of many.

These revelations remind us that evil is not merely a political or social problem. At its deepest level, it is a spiritual crisis.

When societies abandon the moral law of God, darkness spreads. When the innocent are harmed and justice is ignored, the sins of a culture cry out to heaven.

Sacred Scripture shows us that the proper response to such moments is not despair – but repentance.

When the prophet Jonah warned the city of Nineveh that judgment was coming, the people humbled themselves before God with fasting and prayer. From the king to the poorest citizen, they turned their hearts back to the Lord.

And God showed mercy.

Today we stand in need of that same mercy.

For this reason, I invite the faithful – and all people of goodwill – to join in what we are calling The Nineveh Fast: a series of days dedicated to prayer, fasting, and repentance for the sins that have wounded our world.

This effort is not directed toward politics or ideology. It is directed toward God.

We ask the Lord to purify hearts, to protect the innocent, to bring hidden evil into the light, and to grant our society the grace of conversion.

The story of Nineveh reminds us that repentance can change the course of history. 

May God grant that our prayers and sacrifices may obtain His mercy for our world.

Bishop Joseph E. Strickland