The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has established a Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation to be chaired by Bishop Daniel Garcia of Austin, Texas, according to a Nov. 20 USCCB press release.
The subcommittee is the permanent body replacing the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism created in 2017, according to the release. The subcommittee’s work officially started Nov. 13.
“The subcommittee’s work falls under the mandate of the domestic justice and human development committee, which includes Catholic social teaching on issues of domestic concern such as poverty, housing, the environment, criminal justice, and other challenges that often have a disproportionate impact on communities of color,” the release states.
Archbishop Shelton Fabre, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, appointed Bishop Garcia to the new subcommittee position.
Bishop Joseph Perry, who served as the chairman of the ad hoc committee, expressed gratitude in the release to Bishop Garcia for accepting the new position.
“Bishop Garcia is well suited to carry on the work which has begun to convert the hearts of the faithful and the community at large, that the dignity of every person may be recognized,” Bishop Perry said.
The subcommittee’s webpage explains that it aims to educate and “witness to the intrinsic dignity of the human person as an antidote to the grave sin of racism.”
It will work to spotlight and implement tangible efforts to address racism in society and in the Church, according to the webpage.
“This work is rooted in Scripture and Church teaching about the dignity of the human person, created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27),” it adds. “Through collaboration, education, and advocacy, the Subcommittee seeks to strengthen the Church’s unified and ongoing response to this persistent evil.”
It will create theological, liturgical, pastoral, and community resources on these efforts and will hold outreach events, including collaborative ecumenical activity, to combat racism, the webpage notes.
Bishop Garcia spoke in the release about his goals for leading the subcommittee, saying he hopes to “help draw our attention as to what still needs to be done to heal the pain caused by the sin of racism that still exists today.”
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