Racism

What has the Church actually said about it?

That it is a sin against the one human family, and that the faith gives it no ground: “any theory or form whatsoever of racism and racial discrimination is morally unacceptable.” CSDC 433 Every form of discrimination in fundamental rights “on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.” CCC 1935

The reason is creation. All are made in the image of the one God, “all men have the same nature and the same origin”, all are called to the same beatitude, and “all therefore enjoy an equal dignity”. CCC 1934 “God shows no partiality”, and that equality holds “regardless of their race, nation, sex, origin, culture, or class”. CSDC 144

The Church has said it in these terms for close to a century. In 1937, writing to the bishops of Germany, Pius XI said that whoever “exalts race”, or people or State, and raises it “to an idolatrous level” “distorts and perverts an order of the world planned and created by God”. Mit Brennender Sorge 8 In 1965 the Second Vatican Council declared: “The Church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against men or harassment of them because of their race, color, condition of life, or religion.” Nostra Aetate 5 In 1971 Paul VI called “inadmissible” any law or behaviour “systematically inspired by racialist prejudice”, and asked that within a country all “be equal before the law”. Octogesima Adveniens 16 In 2020 Francis warned that it does not stay beaten: “Racism is a virus that quickly mutates and, instead of disappearing, goes into hiding, and lurks in waiting.” Fratelli Tutti 97

Not every difference is an injustice. Differences of age, ability and circumstance “belong to God's plan”, so that people need and share with one another; CCC 1937 but there are also “sinful inequalities that affect millions of men and women”, which “are in open contradiction of the Gospel”. CCC 1938

Vincent van Gogh, The Good Samaritan, after Delacroix, 1890. Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo.

Lk 10:34

1934

Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity.

1935

The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it:

Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design. GS 29 # 2.

1936

On coming into the world, man is not equipped with everything he needs for developing his bodily and spiritual life. He needs others. Differences appear tied to age, physical abilities, intellectual or moral aptitudes, the benefits derived from social commerce, and the distribution of wealth. Cf. GS 29 # 2. The "talents" are not distributed equally. Cf. Mt 25:14-30; Lk 19:27.

1937

These differences belong to God's plan, who wills that each receive what he needs from others, and that those endowed with particular "talents" share the benefits with those who need them. These differences encourage and often oblige persons to practice generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods; they foster the mutual enrichment of cultures:

I distribute the virtues quite diversely; I do not give all of them to each person, but some to one, some to others.... I shall give principally charity to one; justice to another; humility to this one, a living faith to that one.... and so I have given many gifts and graces, both spiritual and temporal, with such diversity that I have not given everything to one single person, so that you may be constrained to practice charity towards one another.... I have willed that one should need another and that all should be my ministers in distributing the graces and gifts they have received from me. St. Catherine of Siena, Dial. I, 7.

1938

There exist also sinful inequalities that affect millions of men and women. These are in open contradiction of the Gospel:

Their equal dignity as persons demands that we strive for fairer and more humane conditions. Excessive economic and social disparity between individuals and peoples of the one human race is a source of scandal and militates against social justice, equity, human dignity, as well as social and international peace. CS 29 # 3.

144

“God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34; cf. Rom 2:11; Gal 2:6; Eph 6:9), since all people have the same dignity as creatures made in his image and likeness Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1934.. The Incarnation of the Son of God shows the equality of all people with regard to dignity: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28; cf. Rom 10:12; 1 Cor 12:13, Col 3:11). Since something of the glory of God shines on the face of every person, the dignity of every person before God is the basis of the dignity of man before other men Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 29: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 58 (1966) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1966), 1048-1049.. Moreover, this is the ultimate foundation of the radical equality and brotherhood among all people, regardless of their race, nation, sex, origin, culture, or class.

145

Only the recognition of human dignity can make possible the common and personal growth of everyone (cf. Jas 2:1-9). To stimulate this kind of growth it is necessary in particular to help the least, effectively ensuring conditions of equal opportunity for men and women and guaranteeing an objective equality between the different social classes before the law Cf. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Octogesima Adveniens, 16: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 63 (1971) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1971), 413.. Also in relations between peoples and States, conditions of equality and parity are prerequisites for the authentic progress of the international community Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris, 47-48: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 55 (1963) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1963), 279- 281; Paul VI, Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations (4 October 1965), 5: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 57 (1965) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1965), 881; John Paul II, Address to the Fiftieth General Assembly of the United Nations (5 October 1995), 13: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 11 October 1995, p. 9-10.. Despite the steps taken in this direction, it must not forget that there still exist many inequalities and forms of dependence Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 84: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 58 (1966) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1966), 1107-1108.. Together with equality in the recognition of the dignity of each person and of every people there must also be an awareness that it will be possible to safeguard and promote human dignity only if this is done as a community, by the whole of humanity. Only through the mutual action of individuals and peoples sincerely concerned for the good of all men and women can a genuine universal brotherhood be attained Cf. Paul VI, Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, 5: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 57 (1965) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1965), 881; Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 43-44: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 59 (1967) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1967), 278-279.; otherwise, the persistence of conditions of serious disparity and inequality will make us all poorer.

433

The centrality of the human person and the natural inclination of persons and peoples to establish relationships among themselves are the fundamental elements for building a true international community, the ordering of which must aim at guaranteeing the effective universal common good. Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1911. Despite the widespread aspiration to build an authentic international community, the unity of the human family is not yet becoming a reality. This is due to obstacles originating in materialistic and nationalistic ideologies that contradict the values of the person integrally considered in all his various dimensions, material and spiritual, individual and community. In particular, any theory or form whatsoever of racism and racial discrimination is morally unacceptable. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration Nostra Aetate, 5: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 58 (1966) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1966), 743-744; John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 55 (1963) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1963), 268, 281; Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 63: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 59 (1967) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1967), 288; Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens, 16: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 63 (1971) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1971), 413; Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, The Church and Racism. Contribution of the Holy See to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Vatican Press, Vatican City 2001. The coexistence among nations is based on the same values that should guide relations among human beings: truth, justice, active solidarity and freedom. Cf. John XXIII, Encylical Letter Pacem in Terris: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 55 (1963) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1963), 279-280. The Church's teaching, with regard to the constitutive principles of the international community, requires that relations among peoples and political communities be justly regulated according to the principles of reason, equity, law and negotiation, excluding recourse to violence and war, as well as to forms of discrimination, intimidation and deceit. Cf. Paul VI, Address to the United Nations (4 October 1965), 2: AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 57 (1965) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1965), 879-880.

Fratelli Tutti Oct 3, 2020
Octogesima Adveniens May 14, 1971
Nostra Aetate Oct 28, 1965
Mit Brennender Sorge Mar 14, 1937

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