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    CICM-US joins CMSM to condemn racism and brutality

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    Jean PeetersBy Celso Tabalanza, cicm  

    In the wake of a week of tur­moil across the United States, the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM), which represents the leaders of more than 200 Catholic religious institutes of men across the United States, publicly condemns racism. We condemn the brutality that takes away breath and we call for re­forms to policies and practices that have oppressed Black Ameri­cans. We also pray for an end to the national violence that has been ignited and for a path for­ward that is based on peace and leads to true change.

    This moment in our nation and the life of our Church demands more than a statement of anguish. It requires us to commit publicly to change, starting with ourselves. We must begin a collective ef­fort—as religious institutes for men, monasteries, and societies for apostolic life—to work to dis­mantle the individual and sys­temic practices that perpetuate racism in the places where we live out our vocations. We must listen. We must mourn. We must repent. We must change.

    A throwaway culture that values property over people and asserts that some lives are worth more than others violates the hu­man dignity upon which our faith and vocations are based. To say that we represent a Gospel of Life means we cannot look the other way or fail to hear or see people who are suffering.

    To authentically pursue change requires reckoning with one’s own past. That includes us.

    The historical record of the Catholic Church in the US on racism reflects a lack of prophetic leadership and humanity throughout history, all too often mirroring the accepted morals of the time. While many of our brothers and institutes have been on the front lines of fighting for civil rights, we acknowledge some congregations owned slaves and refused to accept Black men and other men of color for vows and ordination. While we have created ministries, built schools, and founded social justice efforts ex­plicitly to serve communities of color, we have not always prac­ticed true equality, the kind of equality that seeks to understand and strives for mutuality. In our desire to uplift, we have been pa­ternalistic at times and even have perpetuated segregation.

    To be prophetic leaders, we must name past sins, humbly lis­ten to those hurt by racism, and be willing to be uncomfortable with our individual and corporate record of prejudice. We must hear those within our own communi­ties who are marginalized, have been silenced, or remain unseen. We must call ourselves to ac­count.

    The Conference of Major Supe­riors of Men recognizes that this essential work must have tangible outcomes that bear witness to the transformational power of the Holy Spirit working through and in each of us. We will commit to preaching, teaching, praying, and mobilizing in new ways.

    We ask that all people of good­will pray for this effort, that we might live into the question that Servant of God, Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA (Franciscan Sis­ters of Perpetual Adoration), posed to the U.S. Bishops Confer­ence in 1989: “… how can we work together so that all of us have equal access to input – equal ac­cess to opportunity – equal access to participation.”

    May Sr. Thea’s bold witness serve as our guide for fundamen­tal change in our Church and in all the places where we labor to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ■


    “We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace
    And the norms and notions
    of what just is
    Isn’t always just-ice”

    Amanda Gorman