Racism in the Church?

Courtesy of Rocco, some very provocative statements from Memphis bishop Terry Steib:

“I … know there is a subtle racism that still exists within our Church that leads to a mistrust of the Church among our young African American men and women. (snip)

“Slowly we are moving away from that mistrust to trust in our Church and thereby trust in the Universal Church. You may ask, ‘What do you mean by subtle racism?’ Well, recently and particularly because of the awarding of a degree to President Obama at the University of Notre Dame, the question [of] racism among the bishops of the country has been raised. I am only raising it because [retired San Francisco] Archbishop [John] Quinn in an article in the America Magazine said that continuing confrontation with President Obama and his administration sends the message that the bishops are insensitive to the heritage and continued existence of racism in America. Archbishop Quinn said that.

“When President Obama was inaugurated four buses full of African Americans Catholics drove for more than 19 hours to be present for the historic moment. But they felt that their celebration was muted because they had heard that so many of our bishops did not seem to understand the significant moment. They seemed not to understand what the whole world took to heart — that President Obama’s election was creating or beginning a whole new era that rejected racial stereotypes and it was opening the door to more embracing international relationships.

“But many of our Church did not share that jubilation. And this, people, I will admit to you too. Nothing was done during other administrations, nothing was said when other presidents who favored the war in Iraq with its constant killing, or who favored capital punishment were given awards in the name of the Church, even though those presidents were not adhering to Catholic Right to Life principles. Because of his clearly unacceptable stand on abortion many who are leaders in the church are willing to pillory President Obama with direct confrontation rather than with clear moral teaching about abortion and public law.”

I share the bishop’s concern about the recent behavior of some of his brother bishops – a distinct minority, let me point out. I’m not sure how many of them are motivated by racism. I think they listen too much to their secular allies, who are becoming more hateful, less rational, and more nihilistic with time. Some of that rhetoric has unfortunately crept into Catholic discourse (look at some “usual suspect” blogs and see how their opposition to healthcare reform goes far beyond the USCCB’s cautions).  Bishop Steib is absolutely right to suggest double standards – I could also point to the argument that Medicare cuts leads to euthanasia only when such cuts are proposed by Democrats. I hope his brother bishops who have been most outspoken on this will listen to the disappointment in the voice of this African-American bishop. I hope they realize that they are pandering to racist elements, even if they are unaware of it.