St. Ann Staff Statement on Racial Equality & Social Justice
It is with increasing concern that we have witnessed racial inequities and the deaths of black men and women by those who are supposed to serve and protect. The position of the Catholic Church on this issue has been consistent. Letters from Pope Francis and the Washington Conference of Catholic Bishops, which are available on our web site, are crystal clear on the evils of racism. They also are clear that racism is not limited to a sin of the individual who hates or looks down on another because of the color of their skin, but racism is also a societal evil expressed in the continuation of a systematic set of rules, practices, and attitudes that place people of a certain ethnic origin at a disadvantage to others of a different ethnic background. Racism is evil and counter to the Gospel.
St. Ann Parish is widely known as a welcoming community rooted in social justice, a place of diversity and acceptance. Parishioners come in a variety of genders, skin tones, nationalities and economic situations. Issues of justice for immigrants and refugees, issues surrounding the racial inequities that are still a cancer in our culture, and issues that underlie the growing chasm between the rich and the poor are of high importance and impact the life of each of us and the life of our parish family. Dialogue and consensus seeking have been the St. Ann way for the last half century, and it is our deepest wish that it continues to be so.
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