The 272 aims to be a contribution to what author Rachel Swarns calls "public memory," from which, she submits, the history of Catholic slaveholding "had largely faded" until recent years.
An increasing number of U.S. Catholic colleges and universities have required students to get the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to campus. But some major Catholic institutions have not, including the Catholic University of America.
An online panel hosted by Georgetown discussed the involvement of the Jesuits and the church in slavery, and the Jesuits' efforts to make amends, but did not directly address critiques raised by some descendants.
Distinctly Catholic: A politics aimed at alleviating the ill-effects of racism is highly moral, and the "justice" offered by reparations is a veneer. Black Americans and others who face the injustices of racism deserve more than that.
Two Catholic cardinals defended Pope Francis' decision to approve a decree that bans priests from blessing same-sex unions, saying that the church needs to be clear in its teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman.
A Catholic panel analyzing a path forward during moments of strife or of social sin said the only way to move ahead as a society toward healing is to recognize the damage done to a person or communities, to lay the truth out for everyone to see.
Panelists discussed how the criminal legal system disproportionately harms Black women, and proposed looking for alternatives to incarceration that balance accountability with forgiveness and dignity.
Excerpt: "Black Catholics want to feel heard; they want a church that reflects and uplifts them toward liberation; a church that cares about their spiritual and physical lives — a church that atones."