The Catholic Church has expressed strong condemnation of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police officers. Here is a sampling of statements from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities USA, and the National Black Catholic Congress about the killing of Floyd and about the scourge of racism and its threat to the common good in our nation and world.
Resources to Explore
Prayer to Overcome Racism [2020]
Archbishop Kurtz: Uphold Human Dignity and Reject Racism [2020]
"Open Wide Our Hearts" -- U.S. Catholic Bishops Pastoral Letter [2018]
Reaction: U.S. Sisters Acknowledge Systemic Racism, Join Call for Fundamental Police Reform [2020]
The Sin of Racism with Archbishop Kurtz
Movies and Videos
Facing An Uncomfortable Truth A documentary exploring the struggles of African American Catholics in Kentucky
"Thirteenth" A documentary examining racial inequity in the U.S. prison system
Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman Speech to U.S. Catholic Bishops [1989] (Start at 7:15 minute mark)
Books
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of our Racial Divide [A multiple award-winning best seller by Carol Anderson]
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin [This classic, award-winning book is available free on YouTube; read by Jesse L. Martin]
Between the World and Me [The 2015 National Book Award Winner by Ta-nehisi Coates]
Authentically Black and Truly Catholic: The Rise of Black Catholicism in the Great Migration by Matthew Cressler
Actions We Can Take
How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change [2020]
Additional Resources
U.S. Bishops: Systemic Racism Led to Death of George Floyd from Vatican News Service [Including audio of interview with Bishop Shelton Fabre, Chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, release June 2, 2020
Catholic Charities USA Condemns Killing of George Floyd, a statement released May 30, 2020.
Prayer for Racial Healing by Catholic Charities USA.
Poverty and Racism: Overlapping Threats to the Common Good, a policy paper by Catholic Charities USA.
Assessment Guidelines for Culturally Responsive Organizations of Programs from Catholic Charities USA.
Resources from the National Black Catholic Congress.
Combatting Racism resources by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
