Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 7—The Georgia Bulletin, November 29,1979
| WASHINGTON (NC) - Following is the text
of “Brothers and Sisters to Us, A Pastoral Letter
on Racism in Our Day,” adopted at the Nov.
12-15 meeting National Conference of Catholic
Bishops.
INTRODUCTION
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 the external
appearances which have changed.
In 1958 we spoke out against blatant forms of racism
that divided people through discriminatory laws and
enforced segregation. We pointed out the moral evil that
denied human persons their dignity as children of God
and their God-given rights. (1) A decade later in a second
pastoral letter we again underscored the continuing
scandal of racism and called for decisive action to
eradicate it from our society. (2)
We recognize and applaud the readiness of many
Americans to make new strides forward in reducing and
eliminating prejudice against minorities. We are convinced
that the majority of Americans realize that racial
discrimination is both unjust and unworthy of this nation.
We do not deny that changes have been made, that
laws have been passed, that policies have been
implemented. We do not deny that the ugly external
features of racism which marred our society have in part
been eliminated. But neither can it be denied that too
often what has happened has been only a covering over,
not a fundamental change. Today the sense of urgency has
yielded to an apparent acceptance of the status quo. The
climate of crisis engendered by demonstrations, protests
and confrontation has given away to a mood of
indifference; and other issues occupy our attention.
In response to this mood, we wish to call attention to
the persistent presence of racism and in particular to the
relationship between racial and economic justice. Racism
and economic oppression are distinct but interrelated
forces which dehumanize our society. Movement toward
authentic justice demands a simultaneous attack on both
evils. Our economic structures are undergoing
fundamental changes which threaten to intensify social
inequalities in our nation. We are entering an era
characterized by limited resources, restricted job markets
and dwindling revenues. In this atmosphere, the poor and
racial minorities are being asked to bear the heaviest
burden of the new economic pressures.
This new economic crisis reveals an unresolved racism
that permeates our society’s structures and resides in the
hearts of many among the majority. Because it is less
blatant, this subtle form of racism is in some respects even
more dangerous — harder to combat and easier to ignore.
Major segments of the population are being pushed to the
margins of society in our nation. As economic pressures
tighten, those people who are often black, Hispanic,
native American and Asian - and always poor — slip
further into the unending cycle of poverty, deprivation,
ignorance, disease and crime. Racial identity is for them
an iron curtain barring the way to a decent life and
livelihood.
The economic pressures exacerbate racism, particularly
where poor white people are competing with minorities
for limited job opportunities. The church must not be
unmindful of the economic pressures. We must be
sensitive to the unfortunate and unnecessary racial tension
that results from this kind of economic need.
Mindful of its duty to be the advocate for those who
hunger and thirst for justice’s sake, the church cannot
remain silent about the racial injustices in society and in
its own structures. Our concern over racism follows, as
well, from our strong commitment to evangelization. Pope
John Paul II has defined evangelization as bringing
consciences, both individual and social, into conformity
with the Gospel. We would betray our commitment to
evangelize ourselves and our society were we not to
strongly voice our condemnation of attitudes and
practices so contrary to the Gospel. Therefore, as the
bishops of the United States, we once again address our
pastoral reflections on racism to our brothers and sisters
of all races.
We do this, conscious of the fact that racism is only
one form of discrimination that infects our society. Such
discrimination (relies both our civil and religious
traditions. The United States of America rests on a
constitutional heritage that recognizes the equality,
dignity and inalienable rights of all its citizens. Further,
we are heirs of a religious teaching which proclaims that
all men and women, as children of God, are brothers and
sisters. Every form of discrimination against individuals
and groups — whether because of race, ethnicity, religion,
gender, economic status, or national or cultural origin — is
a serious injustice which has severely weakened our social
fabric and deprived our country of the unique
contributions of many of our citizens. While cognizant of
these broader concerns, we wish to draw attention here to
the particular form of discrimination that is bast'd on race.
THE SIN OF RACISM
Racism is a sin: a sin that divides the human family,
'■* blots out the image of God among specific members of
that family and violates the fundamental human dignity
of those called to be children of the same Father. Racism
is the sin that says some human beings are inherently
superior and others essentially inferior because of race. It
is the sin that makes racial characteristics the determining
factor for the exercise of human rights. It mocks the
words of Jesus: “Treat others the way you would have
them treat you” (Mt. 7:1 2). Indeed, racism is more than a
disregard for the words of Jesus; it is a denial of the truth
of the dignity of each human being revealed by the
mystery of the incarnation.
In order to find the strength to overcome the evil of
racism, we must look to Christ. In Christ Jesus “there is
neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female; for all are
■ one ...” (Gal. 3:28). As Pope John Paul II has said so
clearly, “our spirit is set in one direction, the only
.direction for our intellect, will and heart is — toward
i-Christ our redeemer, toward Christ, the redeemer of
-‘ humanity” (“Redemptor Hominis,” 7). It is in Christ,,
then, that the church finds the central cause for its
commitment to justice and to the struggle for the human
rights and dignity of all persons.
When we give in to our fears of the other because he or
s’'e is of a race different from ourselves, when we prejudge
*tlie motives of others precisely because they are of a
different color, when we stereotype or ridicule the other
because of racial characteristics and heritage, we fail to
heed the command of the prophet Amos: “Seek good and
not evil, that you may live; then truly will the Lord ... be
with you as you claim! . . . Then let justice surge like
water, and goodness like an unfailing stream” (Am.
5:14,24).
Today in our country men, women and children are
being denied opportunities for full participation and
advancement in our society because of their race. The
educational, legal and financial systems, along with other
structures and sectors of our society, impede people’s
progress and narrow their access because they are black,
Hispanic, native American or Asian. Racism exists not
only among whites, however, It also resides in the
attitudes and behavior of some who are members of
minority groups themselves.
The structures of our society are subtly racist, for these
structures reflect the values which society upholds. They
are geared to the success of the majority and the failure of
the minority; and members of both groups give unwitting
approval by accepting things as they are. Perhaps no single
individual is to blame. The sinfulness is often anonymous,
but nonetheless real. The sin is social in nature in that
each of us, in varying degrees, is responsible. All of us in
some measure are accomplices. As our recent pastoral
letter on moral values states: “The absence of personal
fault for evil does not absolve one of all responsibility. We
must resist and undo injustices we have not caused, lest
we become bystanders who tacitly endorse evil and so
share in guilt for it.” (3)
But despite this tragic history, the racial minorities of
our country have survived and increased. Not only that,
but each racial group has sunk its roots deep in the soil of
our culture, thus helping to give to the United States its
unique character and its diverse coloration. The
contribution of each racial minority is distinctive and rich;
each has become a source of internal strength for our
nation. The history of all gives a witness to a truth
absorbed by now into the collective consciousness of
America: Their struggle has been a pledge of liberty and a
challenge to future greatness.
RACISM TODAY
Crude and blatant expressions of racist sentiment,
though they occasionally exist, are today considered bad
form, but racism itself persists in a covert way. Under the
RACISM IS A FACT
Because the courts have eliminated statutory racial
discrimination and Congress has enacted civil rights
legislation, and because some minority people have
achieved some measure of success, many people believe
that racism is no longer a problem in American life. The
continuing existence of racism becomes apparent,
however, when we look beneath the surface of our
national life as, for example, in the case of unemployment
figures.
In the first quarter of 1979, 5 percent of white
Americans were unemployed; but for blacks the figure
was 11.4 percent; for Hispanics, 8.3 percent; and for
native Americans on reservations, as high as 40 percent.
The situation is even more disturbing when one realizes
that 35 percent of black youth, 19.1 percent of Hispanic
youth, and an estimated 60 percent of native American
youth are unemployed. (4) Quite simply, this means that
an alarming proportion of tomorrow’s adults are cut off
from gainful employment — an essential prerequisite of
responsible adulthood.
These are the same youths presently suffering the
crippling effects of a segregated educational system which
in many cases fails to enlighten the mind and free the
spirit, which too often inculcates a conviction of
inferiority and which frequently graduates persons who
are ill prepared and inadequately trained. In addition,
racism raises its ugly head in the violence that frequently
surrounds attempts to achieve racial balance in education
and housing.
With respect to family life, we recognize that decades
of denied access to opportunities have been made for
minority families a crushing burden. Racial discrimination
has only exacerbated the harmful relationship between
poverty and family instability.
Racism is only too apparent in housing patterns in our
major cities and suburbs. Witness the deterioration of
inner cities as well as the segregation of many suburban
areas by means of the unjust practices of social steering
and blockbusting. Witness also the high proportion of
Hispanics, blacks and Indians on welfare and the fact that
the median income of non-white families is only 63
percent of the average white family income. Moreover, the
gap between the rich and the poor is widening, not
decreasing.
Racism is apparent when we note that the population
in our prisons consists disproportionately of minorities;
that violent crime is the daily companion of a life of
poverty and deprivation; and that the victims of such
crimes are also disproportionately non-white and poor.
Racism is also apparent in the attitudes and behavior of
some law-enforcement officials and the unequal
availability of legal assistance.
Finally, racism is sometimes apparent in the growing
sentiment that too much is being given to racial minorities
by way of affirmative action programs or allocations to
redress long-standing imbalances in minority
representation, and government-funded programs for the
disadvantaged. At times protestations claiming that all
persons should be treated equally reflect the desire to
maintain a status quo that favors one race and social
group at the expense of the poor and non-white.
Racism obscures the evils of the past and denies the
burdens that history has placed upon the shoulders of our
black, Hispanic, native American, and Asian brothers and
sisters. An honest look at the past makes plain the need
for restitution wherever possible — makes evident the
justice of restoration and redistribution.
A LOOK AT THE PAST
Racism has been a part of the social fabric of America
since the beginning of European colonization. Whether it
be the tragic past of the native Americans, the Mexicans,
the Puerto Ricans or the blacks, the story is one of
slavery, peonage, economic exploitation, brutal repression
and cultural neglect. All have suffered indignity; most
have been uprooted, defrauded or dispossessed of their
lands; and none has escaped one or another form of
collective degradation by a powerful majority. Our history
is littered with the debris of broken promises and treaties,
as well as lynchings and massacres that almost destroyed
the Indians, humiliated the Hispanics and crushed the
blacks.
guise of other motives, it is manifest in the tendency to
stereotype and marginalize whole segments of the
population whose presence is perceived as a threat. It is
manifest also in the indifference that replaces open
hatred. The minority poor are seen as the dross of a
post-industrial society —.without skills, without
motivation, without incentive. They are expendable.
Many times the new face of racism is the computer
print-out, the graph of profits and losses, the pink slip, the
nameless statistic. Today’s racism flourishes in the
triumph of private concern over public responsibility,
individual success over social commitment and personal
fulfillment over authentic compassion.
Christian ideals of justice must be brought to bear in
both the private and the public sectors in order that
covert racism be eliminated wherever it exists. The new
forms of racism must be brought face to face with the
figure of Christ. It is Christ’s word that is the judgment on
this world; it is Christ’s cross that is the measure of our
response; and it is Christ’s face that is the composite of all
persons, but in a most significant way, of today’s poor,
today’s marginal people, today’s minorities.
GOD’S JUDGMENT AND PROMISE
The Voice of Scripture
The Christian response to the challenges of our times is
to be found in the Good News of Jesus. The words which
signaled the start of his public ministry must be the
watchword for every Christian response to injustice, “He
unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was
written: The spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore, he
has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to
the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight
to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year
of favor from the Lord. Rolling up the scroll he gave it
back . . . and sat down. ‘Today this scripture passage is
fulfilled in your hearing’” (Lk 4:17-21).
God’s word proclaims the oneness of the human family
— from the first words of Genesis to the “Come, Lord
Jesus” of the Book of Revelation. God’s word in Genesis
announces that all men and women are created in God’s
image; not just some races and racial types, but all bear
the imprint of the Creator and are enlivened by the breath
of his one Spirit.
In proclaiming the liberation of Israel, God’s word
proclaims the liberation of all people from slavery. God’s
word further proclaims that all people are accountable to
and for each other. This is the message of that great
parable of the final judgment: “When the Son of Man
comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels of
heaven . . .all the nations will be assembled before him.
Then he will separate them into two groups . . . The king
will say to those on his right: ‘come, you have my father’s
blessing! . . . For I was hungry and you gave me food, I
was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and
you welcomed me . . .1 assure you, as often as you did it
for one of my least brothers, you did it for me’” (Mt.
25:31-40).
God’s word proclaims that the person “who listens to
God’s word but does not put it into practice is like a man
who looks into a mirror at the face he was born with . . .
then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like”
(Jas. 1:23-24). We have forgotten that we “are strangers
and aliens no longer . . .(We) are fellow citizens of the
saints and members of the household of God. (We) form a
building which rises on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone” (Eph.
2:19-20).
THE VOICE OF THE CHURCH
This is the mystery of our church, that all men and
women are brothers and sisters, all one in Christ, all bear
the image of the eternal God. The church is truly
universal, embracing all races, for it is to be “the visible
sacrament of this saving unity” (Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church, 9). The church, moreover, follows the
example of its founder and, “through her children, is one
with men of every condition, but especially with the poor
and the afflicted” (Decree on the Church’s Missionary
Activity, 12).
This church has a duty to proclaim the truth about the
human being as disclosed in the truth about Jesus Christ.
As our Holy Father Pope John Paul II has written: “On
account of the mystery of the redemption (every human
being) is entrusted to the solicitude of the church.” The
human being is “the primary and fundamental way for the
church” (Redemptor Hominis,” 13,14).
It is important to realize in the case of racism that we
are dealing with a distortion at the very heart of human
nature. The ultimate remedy against evils such as this will
not come solely from human effort. What is needed is the
re-creation of the human being according to the image
revealed in Jesus Christ. For he reveals in himself what
each human being can and must become.
How great, therefore, is that sin of racism which
weakens the church’s witness as the universal sign of unity
among all peoples! How great the scandal given by racist
Catholics who would make the body of Christ, the
church, a sign of racial oppression! Yet all too often the
church in our country has been for many a “white
church,” a racist institution.
Each of us as Catholics must acknowledge a share in
the mistakes and sins of the past. We have been prisoners
of fear and prejudice. Many of us have preached the
Gospel while closing our eyes to the racism it condemned.
We have allowed conformity to social pressures to replace
compliance with social justice.
But past mistakes must not hinder the church’s
response to the challenges of the present. Worldwide, the
church today is not just European and American: it is also
African, Asian, Indian and Oceanic. It is western, eastern,
northern and southern, black and also brown, white and
also red and yellow. In our own country, one quarter of
the Catholics are Spanish-speaking. A million black
Catholics make Catholicism one of the largest
denominations among black Americans today. Among our
nation’s original inhabitants, the native Americans, the
church’s presence is increasingly becoming developed and
expressed within the cultures of the various native
American tribes.
It is a fact that the Catholic dioceses and religious
communities across the country for years have
committed selected personnel and substantial funds to
relieve oppression and correct injustices and have striven
to bring the Gospel to the diverse racial groups in our
land. The church has sought to aid the poor and
downtrodden, who, for the most part, are also the victims
of racial oppression. But this relationship has been and
remains two-sided and reciprocal, for the initiative of
racial minorities, clinging to their Catholic faith, has
helped the church to grow, adapt and become truly
Catholic and remarkably diverse. Today in our own land
the face of Catholicism is truly the face of all humanity —
a face of many colors, a countenance of many cultural
forms.
Yet more is needed. The prophetic voice of the church,
which is to be heard in every generation and even to the
ends of the earth, must not be muted — especially not by
the counterwitness of some of its own people. Let the
church speak out, not only in the assemblies of the
bishops, but in every diocese and parish in the land, in
every chapel and religious house, in every school, in every
social service agency and in every institution that bears
the name Catholic. As Pope John Paul II has proclaimed,
the church must be aware of the threats to humanity and
of all that opposes the endeavor to make life itself more
human. The church must strive to make every element of
human life correspond to the true dignity of the human
person (cf.'“Redemptor Hominis,” 14).
And during his recent visit to this country, Pope John
Paul II discussed the direct implications of this for the
church in the United States:
“It will always remain one of the glorious achievements
of this nation that, when people looked toward America,
they received together with freedom also a chance for
their own advancement. This tradition must be honored
also today. The freedom that was gained must be ratified
each day by the firm rejection of whatever wounds,
weakens or dishonors human life. And so I appeal to all
who love freedom and justice to give a chance to all in
need, to the poor and the powerless. Break open the
hopeless cycles of poverty and ignorance that still are the
lot of too many of our brothers and sisters; the hopeless
cycles of prejudices that linger on despite enormous
progress toward effective equality in education and
employment; the cycles of despair in which are
imprisoned all those that lack decent food, shelter or
employment...” (“Address at Battery Park,” Oct. 3,
1979).
Therefore, let the church proclaim for all to hear that
the sin of racism defiles the image of God and degrades
the sacred dignity of humankind, which has been revealed
by the mystery of the incarnation. Let all know that it is a
terrible sin that mocks the cross of Christ and ridicules the
incarnation. For the brother and sister of our brother
Jesus Christ are brother and sister to us.
We find God’s will for us not only in the word of
scripture and in the teaching of his church, but also in the
issues and events of secular society. “The church
recognizes that worthy elements are found in today’s
social movements, especially an evolution toward unity, a
process of wholesome socialization and of association in
civic and economic realms” (Constitution on the Church
in the Modern World 42) Thus spoke the church in the
Second Vatican Council. In that same Council the church
admonished its members, especially the laity, to work in
the temporal sphere on behalf of justice and the unity of
humankind (Cf. Ibid, 43).
With this in mind, we wish to pay special tribute to
those who have struggled and struggle today on behalf of
civil rights and economic justice in our own country. Nor
do we overlook the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, which still speaks to the conscience of the entire
world, and the several international covenants which
demand the elimination of discrimination based on race.
None of these, unfortunately, has been ratified by our
country, whereas we in America should have been the first
to do so. All have a duty to heed the voice of God
speaking in these documents.
OUR RESPONSE
Racism is not merely one sin among many, it is a
radical evil dividing the human family and denying the
new creation of a redeemed world. I'o struggle against it
demands an equally radical transformation in our own
minds and hearts as well as in the structure of our society.
Conversion is the ever-present task of each Christian. In
offering certain guidelines for this change of heart as it
pertains to racism, we note that these are only first steps
in what ought to be a continuing dialogue throughout the
Catholic community and the hatiorryat large. In this
context we would urge that existir® programs and plans,
such as those dealing with family ministry, parish renewal
and evangelization, be used as vehicles for implementing
the measures addressed here.
Continued Next Week