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- Statement of U.S. Bishops’ President on George Floyd and the Protests in American Cities (USCCB)
- Statement of U.S. Bishop Chairmen in Wake of Death of George Floyd and National Protests (USCCB)
- Pope Francis: No Tolerance for Racism, But Without Violence (Vatican News)
- Archbishop Gregory Issues Statement on Fatal Shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia (Catholic Standard)
- Statement from Washington Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory Regarding the Death of George Floyd(Archdiocese of Washington)
- Archbishop Wilton Gregory Issues Statement on Planned Presidential Visit (Archdiocese of Washington)
VIDEOS
- Pope Francis and U.S. Bishops Respond to George Floyd’s Killing (Catholic Mobilizing Network
- Racism in our Streets and Structures (Georgetown conference featuring Archbishop Wilton Gregory and an appearance from Cardinal Turkson)
ARTICLES *
- Catholic Leaders Are Reacting to the George Floyd Case. Here’s What They’re Saying. (America)
- El Paso’s Bishop Mark Seitz: Black Lives Matter (National Catholic Reporter)
- The Assumptions of White Privilege and What We Can Do About It (National Catholic Reporter)
- Finding Civil Society as Minneapolis Burns (Acton Institute)
* Opinions expressed in these articles do not necessary reflect the views of the archdiocese. The topic of racism in America evokes emotion and a varitey of strong opinions. The US Bishops have enjoined Catholics to enter into dialogue about this difficult topic and so these articles are shared with the aim of offering some perspectives.
Combatting Racism
“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. The persistence of the evil of racism is why we are writing this letter now.”
– Open Wide our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love
On November 14, 2018 The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved and promulgated , “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love, A Pastoral Letter Against Racism.”
Read the Full Text and find Resources:
Resources: include a bulletin insert, homily help, prayer materials, background information on systemic racism, and activities for primary, secondary, and higher education classroom settings.
The Office for Social Justice (OSJ)…
What We Do
PROVIDE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT FOR INDIVIDUALS AND PARISHES ACTIVE IN SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES
Contact the OSJ for questions or support in applying Catholic Social teaching in our communities.
EDUCATE CATHOLICS OF ALL AGES ABOUT THE CHURCH’S SOCIAL TEACHINGS
Bill Scholl is available to speak with your parish, school, or Catholic group on promoting an understanding of the Church’s Social Teachings.
The OSJ can help in developing curriculum for teaching Catholic Social Doctrine in your parish.
ADVOCATE FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, INCLUDING IMMIGRANTS, THE IMPRISONED AND THE POOR AMONG US
The OSJ is an archdiocesan point of contact for political action in the light of the Gospel and teachings of the Magisterium.
The OSJ can help your parish in its ministries to the poor, imprisoned, or otherwise marginalized.
PROMOTE GLOBAL SOLIDARITY BY ENGAGING PEOPLE IN THE EFFORTS OF CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
The OSJ is the local archdiocesan contact for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and can help your parish group get more engaged in our Gospel call to solidarity.
COORDINATE THE LOCAL EFFORTS OF THE JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS CAMPAIGN
The OSJ promotes comprehensive immigration reforms that respect the needs of families and our Nation’s laws and is the local contact for the U.S. Bishop’s Justice for Immigrants campaign.
MANAGE THE CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (CCHD) INCLUDING LOCAL GRANTS AND HELPING LOCAL APPLICANTS WITH NATIONAL GRANTS
The OSJ works with local community development groups in funding projects that help the poor improve their lives by affecting sustainable, systematic change through the U.S bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
Love your Global Neighbor by Learning about the lives of Refugees and Migrants
“The progress of our peoples… depends above all on our openness to being touched and moved by those who knock at our door. Their faces shatter and debunk all those false idols that can take over and enslave our lives; idols that promise an illusory and momentary happiness blind to the lives and sufferings of others” Pope Francis
POPE’S MESSAGE
JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS
This is a great site to learn the immigration issue and why the U.S. Bishops advocate for comprehensive immigration reform
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
Learn about how the US Church mobilizes the faithful to help refugees, victims of disaster, and economically disadvantged communities in over 100 developing countries around the world. There are more refugees now than anytime in history since World War II.
“But the problem is not that we have doubts and fears. The problem is when they condition our way of thinking and acting to the point of making us intolerant, closed and perhaps even – without realizing it – racist.” Pope Francis
Our Catholic Faith and the Immigration Issue
Learn what Catholic Social Teachings says about the immigration issue and how we as Catholics can help by visiting Justice for Immigrants.
LOOKING TO CATCH UP?
theSkimm has a good summary of all the past immigration news events to help you get current with the political events that are shaping the immigration and refugee debate. It’s called, No Excuses, Not to talk about immigration. This secular site has some good information that should help you and your friends get up to speed.
POPE FRANCIS HAS PROMULGATED A CHANGE TO THE CATECHISM, WHICH REPRESENTS A DEVELOPMENT IN CHURCH TEACHING ON THE DEATH PENALTY.
Compare and Contrast Church teaching on Death Penalty
New Catechism on Death Penalty as of 8/1/2018
2267 Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.
Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.
Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”,[1] and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.
OLD Catechism on Death Penalty
2267 Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.
If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.
Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm – without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself – the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically nonexistent.”
Office for Social Justice
MISSION:
Under the guidance of the Archbishop:
To lead and encourage Catholics of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas to grow in their friendship with Jesus Christ by working for a just society that is informed by the Church’s social teachings amidst the challenges of modern society.
