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How Did The Catholic Church Influence The Civil Rights Movement

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Racism is the discrimination against someone based on the idea that their race is superior to another. The Catholic Church is a large opponent to racism because it believes that our Lord created us all as equals who should be treated as such. Racism in the United States has existed since its establishment but became very prevalent during the Civil War and the creation of the Ku Klux Klan. Although racism tends to refer mainly only to race and skin color it has also been used in terms of religion (Robinson). This can be traced back to when Catholics were persecuted for their faith. This was also seen when Catholics endured religious discrimination by Protestant Europeans when they traveled to America in the 16th and 17th centuries (Fraser). …show more content…

The Civil Rights Movement played a large role in the Supreme court ruling of Brown v. Board of Education. Although the Catholic Church was not subject to this court ruling they still went along with the decision to desegregate the parochial schools (McKenzie). The Catholic Church believes that segregation is morally wrong and that our Lord would want us to live in an integrated community (McKenzie).
The Civil Rights Movement and the court cases involved with it led to a more open and accepting community. During this time there was a large increase in conversions of African Americans to Catholicism (McKenzie). Soon after the Catholic Church became much more active in the Civil Rights Movement (Davis). Many of those part of the Catholic clergy were active leaders in the Civil Rights Movement march in Selma, Alabama (Davis). The participation of Catholics in the march show the large advancements in integration and openness of the Catholic Church.
Although opponent to racism and the Catholic Church has made huge gains in society, racism is still very prevalent today. Many studies have been done recently which show the strong negativity towards African Americans and Hispanics (Parks). Other reports also show that many Americans feel that there is still a lot more progress to be made against discrimination …show more content…

Through the creation of the U.S. Bishops Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Church has taken a stand against racism (Reese). This committee has organized many events and conventions to speak about racism (Reese). They have also began meeting with government officials to discuss new ideas in stopping racism (Reese).
After recent white nationalist rallies such as the one in Charlottesville, Virginia, bishops have spoken out against them (Mena). The bishops spoke out not only about racism but also violence in our society (Mena). Bishops used scripture readings to condemn the racism and violence (Mena). They used a passage which stated that we are all one in Christ Jesus to condemn the racist ideas of white supremacy (Mena).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church also specifically condemns racism and slavery in our society. The Church teaches that any form of discrimination including sex, race, color, or religion is incompatible with God’s design (Catechism). The Church strives for fair and humane conditions for all people (Catechism). The Church along with the seventh commandment condemns enslavement of because it denies the dignity of human beings (Catechism). The Church believes that we are all beloved brothers and children of God and that we should treat each other as such

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