Religion:Racism in the Catholic Church

Racism in the Catholic Church refers to the history and attitude of the Catholic Church in regards to racism and discrimination on the basis of race, as historically, the Church has been known to promote 'racist practices' as recently as in the twentieth century and have thus been critiqued for their inadequacy in constructively attempting to work on fixing racial tensions. This can be viewed through the examination of different races including the Jewish population, the African-American population and the Indigenous population. However, the Catholic Church's acknowledgement of their "moral shortcomings" and "complicity" in relation to this issue, has seen an enhanced and progressive effort to resolve the situation, heightened by the induction of Pope John XXIII in 1958. As such, this article will outline both the current attitude of the Catholic Church in relation to racism and discrimination, as well as the responses of the Church, highlighted through different objectives from various Catholic groups, developed in an attempt to combat racist ideology and promote a more inclusive culture.

History

The Catholic Church’s contribution to, and involvement in, through a perceived failure to defend certain minorities against racist language and behaviour, racism, has been well documented over history. Specific examples can be found when examining the behaviour of the Church in relation to three groups in society, including the Jewish population, the African-American population and the Indigenous population. The following sections will seek to establish the attitude and behaviour of the Church over different historical eras in relation to these racial minorities.

Different Races

The Jewish Population

The Catholic Church has long had a troubled relationship with the Jewish faith, with Christians having a negative attitude towards Jews and being extremely opposed to them, so much so that it can be noted that there was an extreme "level of hostility against Jews inculcated by the Church" (Connelly, 2007, 817), dating as far back as the sixteenth century, where “blood purity laws” (Connelly, 2007, 816) prevented and limited people who had converted from Judaism from public office. Further examples of systemic racist behaviour can be noted throughout history, including racist rhetoric contained in Christian literature and the behaviour of certain notable Catholic figures towards the Jewish community. There are multiple examples of these incidents, ranging from the seventeenth century, where the Vatican employed an infamous 'Jewish convert' who spoke in opposition to baptising members of the Jewish community, and the forced resignation of an archbishop due to his Jewish ancestry in the nineteenth century.

However, it must be acknowledged that the Second World War was a pivotal moment for the Catholic Church and its perception of Judaism, with historical readings mostly centred on documenting the Church’s shortcomings in denouncing anti-Semitic behaviour during this period. Some within the Catholic Church believed that Jews were, “threatening and - paradoxically - inferior” (Connelly, 2007, 819). This way of thinking gave rise to the passive attitude maintained by the Church when viewing the Holocaust and the plight of the Jewish community at the time. The Church was known for punishing the small number of Catholics who attempted to counter the contempt held towards Jews during this period.

Eventually, a shift in perspective on the Judaism and the Jewish community was achieved, largely through the work of Pope John XXIII. This was witnessed through a vote conducted by the Second Vatican Council, who proclaimed overwhelmingly in favour of rejecting rhetoric that God did not kindly look upon the Jews and that they cannot be held accountable for Jesus Christ’s death. This vote sought change in the Church and allowed them to take some responsibility for their actions. The Vatican even produced a document, reflecting on the responsibility of the Church in their discrimination of the Jews, entitled, ‘We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah”.

The African-American Population

The African-American population has long been discriminated against, and overlooked, by the Catholic Church. Segregated churches were a common practice in the United States during the twentieth century. Moreover, in the earlier half of the twentieth century, there were periods of time when African-Americans were not allowed to enroll in certain Catholic universities and colleges and if they were, there was a vast underrepresentation of them. This was in accordance to the Catholic Church submitting to the “Jim Crow practices”. After the Church’s decision to adopt a more prominent oppositional stance towards combating racism, tensions were stirred “between the Church and ethnic Catholics”, as many ethnic groups within Catholic Churches viewed African-American Catholics as ‘“foreign” and as “outsiders”, even though they shared the same faith.

Furthermore, in the latter half of the century, when racial inclusion and acceptance were at the forefront of Catholic ideology and rhetoric, it was still understood by many African-American Bishops and Church leaders, as well as the African-American community themselves, that their plight was still largely overlooked, and that not much had been done to assist this minority group. Theologian James Cone, who is often viewed as the 'pioneer of Black theology', aimed to articulate the struggle of the African-American community in achieving liberation and equality through an analysis of the Catholic faith and the gospel, exemplified in, "The task of black theology ... is to analyse the nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ in light of oppressed blacks so they will see the gospel as inseparable from their humiliated condition, and as bestowing on them the necessary power to break the chains of oppression" (Massingdale, 2000, p. 714). His understanding was that Bishops and other religious leader simply could not grasp the incredibly pervasive and ingrained nature of racism in American culture, heightened and manifested through issues of slavery and lynching, where 'white dominance' was so forcefully asserted, and that these Catholic leaders' theological reflections and discussions were inadequate, rather than 'fundamentally flawed'. This idea is encompassed in statements made by many African-American professors and church leaders, including Cone, summarised in,

“What is it about the Catholic definition of justice that makes many persons of that faith progressive in their attitude toward the poor in Central America but reactionary in their views toward the poor in black America? … It is the failure of the Catholic Church to deal effectively with the problem of racism that causes me to question the quality of its commitment to justice in other areas” (Massingale, 2000, 700).

The Indigenous Population

In relation to the Indigenous population, particularly concerning Indigenous-Australians, the Catholic Church’s past practices are viewed as problematic, especially in relation to missionaries, and their role in the degradation of Aboriginal culture. Missionary’s including Frank McGarry have been criticised for attempting to remove certain Aboriginal customs and practices, specifically Arrentre practices, according to an article titled ‘The Catholic Church’s toll on Aboriginal Australia’., where McGarry was evidently seen “ordering the children that they ‘were not to speak Arrunta [sic] in church or in school otherwise they would be sent home without tucker’” (Franklin, 2016, 55). This idea of the Catholic church and the repression of Indigenous autonomy is exemplified through their agenda, which aimed to achieve “cultural hegemony”. Furthermore, in compliance with the national and state policies concerning Indigenous Australians and their rights, the Church continued to disregard these marginalised people, highlighted in, “as the functionaries of the Protection and Assimilation policies the Catholic Church has directly contributed to the current disadvantage experienced by Indigenous Australians” (Butler-McIlwraith, n.d., 13). It should be acknowledged, however, that there was some attempt on the part of the Catholic Church to uphold and advocate for Indigenous rights during colonisation

Current Attitude

Overwhelmingly, the current attitude and view held by the Catholic Church is sensitive to racist thought and is committed to fighting discrimination, in accordance with biblical teachings. The Church has shifted its perspective, coinciding with the world’s increasing awareness of race discrimination, to adopt an inclusive approach. This is best understood through  a statement made in 1997, formed by Catholic bishops in Louisiana, stating,

“The teaching of the Roman Catholic Church on racism is clear. Racism is morally wrong. To persist obstinately in this stance is unChristian” (Racism’s Assumption That Some Are Superior, 526).

This attitude has been put into practice, evidenced in,

“Racism is a serious offense against God precisely because it violates the innate dignity of the human person. At its core, racism is a failure to love our neighbour” (Racism, Inclusion and Diversity, 2019).

It is important to acknowledge, however, that, specifically in relation to minorities such as the African-American community, this perspective, while viewed as progressive, still continues to oversimplify and in many cases, ignore the suffering of this community, being noted by a Bishop as “the best kept secret in the church in this country” (Massingdale, 2000, 701).

Catholic Responses

The Church has been progressively formulating responses to resolving issues of racism through reflections on doctrine and statements made by Catholic leaders.Encyclicals and documents produced over the years discuss the opposition of the Church on issues of racial bias and discrimination. Some aim to take responsibility for the Church's involvement in dealing with racial bias, "As we confront our own complicity with the sin of racism, may we constantly refer back to that all-important teaching as a reminder of why we need to root racism out of our hearts, our culture and the institutions of society" (Created in God's Image: Pastoral Letter on the Sin of Racism, Melczek, 2003). While, in earlier years, a broader definition of racism as a societal issue was acknowledged, a more recent recognition of systemic and internalised racism has been incorporated into Catholic thought, allowing a deeper and more enhanced understanding of the issue, thus placing the Church in a more effective position to combat these ideals. This is highlighted in, “Racism is both individual and institutional. Individual racism is expressed through a person’s prejudicial actions and words” (Massingdale, 2000, 705).

Leaders within the Catholic church continue to reflect on providing solutions to racial bias that correlates with Catholic values and beliefs.. Often, these proposed solutions focus on an understanding that racism goes beyond individual will and is an injustice rooted deep within society, and as such, government intervention, as well as a reliance upon institutional collaboration, is called upon to right these wrongs and eliminate these harmful societal structures. Religious figures, such as Cardinal Roger Mahony, have used this understanding of the pervasive nature of racism in society to defend practices that assist marginalised people, such as affirmative action

Concerning the Indigenous Australian population, the Catholic Church has made considerable steps towards achieving reconciliation. A speech delivered by Reverend David Gill of the National Council of Churches in Australia, titled 'Reparations and Reconciliation - A Perspective from the Churches', exemplifies this, in which an outline of the different attempts to achieve reconciliation are outlined. These include churches acknowledging the pain that they have caused and apologising for it, as well as the actions of specific organisations, organisations designed to assist people who were affected by the Indigenous child removal policy. The Catholic Church's organisation is entitled, "A Piece of the Story" which is a national collection of records of the different Catholic organisations that are focused on looking after children who were affected by the child separation policy