Over the past several months the deep cracks and fissures of inequality in our country have come to the forefront of our national conversation. We have been reminded once again of the daily burdens our brothers and sisters of color encounter on a daily basis by virtue of the color of their skin. The Catholic Church condemns every form of social and cultural discrimination, including racism, as incompatible with the Gospel and a threat to human dignity (CCC §1935). In a 1999 homily in Saint Louis, Pope Saint John Paul II decried racism as a plague and called it “one of the most persistent and destructive evils of the nation.” While talking about systemic racism with family members, colleagues, and friends can be challenging, it is necessary if we hope to overcome this national scourge.
