Candelaria Cathedral...

Today was my last visit with some of my friends on the streets of Praca XV. The Candelaria Cathedral is just about a five minute walk away from where the kids hang out. So, I decided to stop by the church for a time of prayer on my way to visit the kids today.

At 1:00 AM on July 25, 1993, as 50 homeless youths were sleeping on the grounds of the Candelaria Cathedral in this downtown section of the city, a group of gunmen drove up and began shooting. Four of the youths died instantly, a fifth was shot and killed as he ran, two more were abducted, beaten, shot and dumped in the gardens of the nearby Museum of Modern Art, and an eighth died several days later, never waking from a coma. Eight others were also shot, but survived their wounds. Three members of the Military Police were arrested for the crimes, and the shootings were reportedly provoked by an occurrence earlier in the day in which some of the children had allegedly thrown stones at a military police vehicle after one youth had been detained for drug use. It is thought that local shopkeepers hired the gunmen to rid the nuisance of these street children. The incident captured headlines and outcry worldwide.

Today outside the church there are eight silhouettes of children’s bodies painted on the sidewalk as a reminder of what happened thirteen years ago. As I sat there and prayed, I remembered my new friends just a five minute walk away. I know that injustice, brutality, and murder still exists towards the children and youth on the streets and in the favelas today. It just happens out of public view in the cracks, crevices, and forgotten places of the city. I often wonder what life is like for my friends when we leave, especially in the middle of the night. I pray that my friends would experience security, hope, and life in Jesus Christ. I pray for freedom from the chains of poverty and addiction that keep a tight grip on their lives on the streets.

May the image of those eight silhouettes painted outside the church serve as a vivid reminder to pray and stand up for those children and youth that live on the streets of Rio, Cape Town, and around the world.