Franciscan Priest, Arrested at November Anti-Torture Protest, will Speak in San Mateo

San Mateo – Franciscan Fr. Louis Vitale, Action Advocate for Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service, was arrested last November for nonviolent action at Fort Huachuca near Tucson, Arizona. Along with Jesuit Fr. Steve Kelly, Vitale was attempting to speak with enlisted personnel and give a letter condemning torture to the post commander. The two priests will stand trial in U.S. District Court in Tucson on June 6. They are charged with trespass and failure to obey an officer’s orders, and each faces a maximum sentence of 10 months in prison.

“Our effort may just be the first steps in exploring what is happening at Ft. Huachuca, but the larger picture continues to emerge,” said Vitale. “I feel an ever greater commitment to do what we can to stop what is happening at Ft. Huachuca and wherever we encounter this force of domination and suffering.”

Fr. Vitale will speak on Tuesday, May 29, at 7:30 PM at Transfiguration Episcopal Church, 3900 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo, on the topic “Torture on Trial.” His talk will include reflections on the U.S. role in torture, Fort Huachuca and U.S. interrogation tactics, the Military Commissions Act of 2006, the School of the Americas, and the upcoming trial. The event, sponsored by Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service and the Declaration of Peace-San Mateo County, is free and open to the public.

Pace e Bene’s mission is to develop the spirituality and practice of active nonviolence as a way of living and being and as a process for cultural transformation. The Declaration of Peace-San Mateo County is a grassroots campaign to end the occupation of Iraq, bring the troops home, and oppose future US military adventures.

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