“But racism still profoundly affects our culture, and it has no place in the Christian heart. This evil causes great harm to its victims, and it corrupts the souls of those who harbor racist or prejudicial thoughts.” – Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love
Resources
In November 2018, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a new pastoral letter against racism, Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love.
In the letter, the bishops invite all people of faith to conversion. We are called to open our minds and hearts to Christ’s love for all people and to the experiences of those who have been harmed by the evil of racism.
- Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love Study Guide (PDF)
- Educational Resources for Combatting Racism (USCCB)
- Responding to the Sins of Racism: Civil Law as an Indispensable Tool Against Racism (USCCB) (PDF)
- Video highlighting the Top 5 Lessons from the 2018 Pastoral Letter Against Racism (Catholic Mobilizing Network)
- Stations of the Cross: Overcoming Racism (PDF)
- Practical Steps for Eradicating Racism: An Invitation (PDF)
USCCB–CRS Video on the Life and Dignity of the Human Person
News and Statements
Statement of Pope Francis
On June 2, 2020, Pope Francis spoke at the General Audience about the protests in the United States following the killing of George Floyd, saying we cannot claim to defend the sacredness of every human life while turning a blind eye to racism and exclusion. Read the article here and watch the video below:
Statement of Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS
Statement of Bishop Shelton Fabre
Bishop Shelton J. Fabre of Houma-Thibodaux, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, on the Death of George Floyd and the protests which have broken out in Minneapolis and in other cities in the United States. Read the full statement here. and watch the video below:
Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities
September 9, Memorial of St. Peter Claver
“We therefore advise [apostolic men] to look, as if into a mirror of apostolic virtue, at the life and works of st. Peter Claver, to whom we have lately added a crown of glory. Let them look at him who for fully forty years gave himself up to minister with the greatest constancy in his labors, to a most miserable assembly of moorish slaves”. Saint Pope Leo XIII, In Plurimis (Encyclical Letter on the Abolition of Slavery), no. 20
September 9th is the Memorial of St. Peter Claver, who ministered to enslaved Africans. St. Peter Claver was a Jesuit priest from Catalonia who served African slaves in Cartagena, Colombia for thirty-eight years. The Feast of St. Peter Claver is an occasion for heightened prayer and action to strive for peace in our communities. To learn more about St. Peter Claver and the resources the USCCB has developed in connection with this celebration, see:
