Diocesan Resources
Racism Backgrounder
Racism: Confronting the Poison in Our Common Home, January 2016
“Racism is an evil which endures in our society and in our Church. Despite apparent advances and even significant changes in the last two decades, the reality of racism remains. In large part it is only external appearances which have changed.” So begins Brothers and Sisters to Us, the Catholic Bishops of the United States, pastoral statement on racism, written in 1979. Almost forty years later, communities within the United States continue to struggle with conversations and challenges that have racial components. Recent events in communities across the country, academic research and reports, and the caustic rhetoric that marks conversations about refugees and migrants, all provide ample evidence that there is still much work to do. As Christians, we are called to constantly examine our own hearts and consciences for how we might contribute to or break down racial divisions, intolerance, and discrimination.
The increasing need for healing, that comes from an fuller understanding and acknowledgement of the lived reality of people and communities of color, cannot be understated. Lost lives need to be mourned; traumatized families and broken communities need to be healed. And this is an issue that concerns everyone, because the lives and dignity of children, as well as the health of communities, depend on it. The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has written, “...racism still exists and continually reappears in different forms. It is a wound in humanity's side that mysteriously remains open. Everyone, therefore, must make efforts to heal it with great firmness and patience.”