Let us be clear about this: racism of all kinds – any person expressing hatred for another because of the color of their skin – is evil. In Catholic teaching, racism is considered an intrinsic evil – this means it can never be justified. It is always, under every circumstance, evil. And the events of last weekend serve to remind us, with even more urgency: we need to stand up to this evil and bring it to an end.
This goes beyond politics. As many people have mentioned: there are no two sides to this issue. There is only one side. We can only stand against it. Racism, after all, is a “life issue.” It is inherently anti-life. It mocks the Creator. It defiles His creation. And it inflicts more wounds on the Body of Christ.
How to respond? To begin with, our response must mean zero tolerance for racist slurs or racist taunts or racist jokes. It means making our leaders in government and politics accountable. It means pushing them to disavow support for or from white nationalists and white supremacists and hate groups of all kinds and all colors. It means creating a culture of life in which we strive, above all, to give dignity to all life, at all times, in all circumstances. We must also take seriously our responsibility to teach our future generations that all of us have been created in God’s image and likeness. As St. John Paul II put it: “To oppose racism we must recognize in every man and woman a brother or sister with whom we walk in solidarity and peace.”
