{"id":2956,"date":"2013-04-16T08:03:00","date_gmt":"2013-04-16T08:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/archbishop-praises-mlks-letter-from-jail-as-prophetic\/"},"modified":"2013-04-16T08:03:00","modified_gmt":"2013-04-16T08:03:00","slug":"archbishop-praises-mlks-letter-from-jail-as-prophetic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/04\/archbishop-praises-mlks-letter-from-jail-as-prophetic\/","title":{"rendered":"Archbishop praises MLK’s letter from jail as prophetic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Birmingham, Ala., Apr 16, 2013 \/ 02:03 am (CNA<\/a>).- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous \u201cLetter from Birmingham Jail\u201d was \u201cdirect and prophetic\u201d in its call for justice and racial equality, an archbishop said on the occasion of the letter\u2019s 50th anniversary.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWhile violence surrounded Dr. King\u2019s life, he proclaimed in word and deed the direction of his Savior, Jesus Christ \u2013 namely, that injustice must not be ignored, but neither can violence be addressed and eliminated by greater acts of violence,\u201d Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville said April 14.<\/p>\n

\tArchbishop Kurtz\u2019s remarks came at a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of King\u2019s letter, held in Birmingham, Ala. April 14-15. The event, which was organized by the organization Christian Churches Together, drew leaders of various Christian denominations from across the U.S.<\/p>\n

\tKing wrote his April 16, 1963 letter after he was imprisoned for parading without a permit as part of a large-scale non-violent protest against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Religious leaders of the time said his action was \u201cunwise and untimely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tArchbishop Kurtz, who was a 16-year-old Pennsylvania resident at the time, said King\u2019s response showed \u201ctrue wisdom, whose time had long since come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe archbishop praised King\u2019s letter as \u201crich in foundations of scripture and human philosophy.\u201d He noted that it cites Socrates, St. Paul, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas.<\/p>\n

\tKing\u2019s letter told his critics that the law\u2019s application against anti-segregation protests, like the political system of the segregated South, was unjust.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cInjustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,\u201d King warned, adding that the clergymen\u2019s statement failed to express concern about the conditions he said caused the protests.<\/p>\n

\tArchbishop Kurtz said King\u2019s letter deserves a response that \u201casks for forgiveness for past sins,\u201d gives thanks for the \u201cclear gains\u201d of the past fifty years, and resolves to \u201cdo more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cMuch more needs to be done,\u201d the archbishop said.<\/p>\n

\tArchbishop Kurtz noted several Catholic efforts to respond to racism. He cited the National Catholic Welfare Conference\u2019s Aug. 23, 1963 statement on racial harmony and the 1979 U.S. bishops\u2019 pastoral letter on racism, which condemned racial discrimination and racism as sins. He also noted a 1998 statement from two leading Catholic bishops condemning racism.<\/p>\n

\tThe archbishop said Christians must ask God forgiveness for sins of racism, especially \u201cthose that linger consciously or subconsciously in the present.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe commemoration of King\u2019s letter also featured the signing of a letter responding to King\u2019s words, the Archdiocese of Louisville newspaper The Record reports.<\/p>\n

\tRev. Bernice King, a minister and King\u2019s youngest child, participated in a panel discussion at the event. Other attendees included Presbyterian minister Rev. Carlos Malav\u00e9, executive director of Christian Churches Together; Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners; U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.); and civil rights leader Dorothy Cotton.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Birmingham, Ala., Apr 16, 2013 \/ 02:03 am (CNA).- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was “direct and prophetic” in its call for justice and racial equality, an archbishop said on the occasion…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nArchbishop praises MLK's letter from jail as prophetic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Birmingham, Ala., Apr 16, 2013 \/ 02:03 am (CNA).- Rev. 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