Video presentation: Slavery, The Catholic Church, and Lessons for Today. Fr. Chris Kellerman, SJ
To be an antiracist is to be a follower of Christ in his ministry to the poor, the excluded, and the oppressed. Working for racial justice requires conversion, a turning of our hearts. Therefore, there is a need to discern how we, as individuals and collectively, can work for racial justice in our lives and communities.
A person claiming not to be racist is different than a person actively doing the work of anti-racism. Being anti-racist doesn’t mean that you always know the correct action to take or what to say in every situation. It does require that you educate yourself, and act and work against racism wherever it arises, including in yourself.
While Catholic social teaching affirms "the right to life and dignity" of every person, the fact remains that the church egregiously violated these teachings through its participation in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and imperial practices of African slavery and segregation in the Americas, Europe and Africa.
Before we can act effectively to challenge racism, we need to know the truth about the role of the Catholic Church in enabling, promoting and perpetuating slavery. This webinar helps answer such questions as:
Is it really true that people “didn’t know slavery was wrong back then”?
Did the Church teach against slaveholding?
What was the role of Popes and theologians?
In this presentation, Fr. Chris Kellerman, SJ, will explain the basics of the Catholic Church’s historical involvement with slaveholding and the Atlantic slave trade, drawing lessons from this history for the Church’s contemporary efforts for racial justice.
This free webinar is open to parishioners, educators, and all who are interested in the topic.
Christopher J. Kellerman, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and author of All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church. He recently served as visiting fellow and interim director at the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans where he engaged in research, education, and advocacy on issues related to racial justice, environmental justice, and political polarization.
Ongoing self-education is a necessary step to actively participating in the co-creation of the Kingdom of God where all are welcome, all are dignified, all are loved. We hope this video will inspire each participant to ask the question: What does God want me to do, what ought I do, what will I do—today, this week, this year—to fight against racial injustice?
Joy Warner
Join CLC in celebrating Black History Month by learning about the history of the Catholic Church’s relationship to slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade. Watch the video and join us later in the month for a discussion. Date TBD.
A Parish Journey for Racial Justice + Equity | January 2023 - Slavery and the Catholic Church