NCR Podcast: Unpacking the U.S. bishops' pastoral letter on racism

Logo from 2018 pastoral letter on racism (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops)

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In November at their annual fall meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a pastoral letter against racism. Called "Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love," the letter is the first of its kind since 1979.

On the show today:

  • Fr. Joseph Brown, a Jesuit priest and professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the Department of Africana Studies

 Background reading:

  • Catholic News Service reported on the pastoral letter before it was released, quoting the document: "Despite many promising strides made in our country, the ugly cancer of racism still infects our nation." The U.S. bishops overwhelmingly approved the pastoral letter Nov. 14 during their fall general meeting in Baltimore. The document passed 241-3 with one abstention.
  • Read the bishops' pastoral letter "Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love — A Pastoral Letter Against Racism."
  • In 2015, Life & Style in Southern Illinois profiled Brown in "Joseph Brown: SIU professor, priest, social activist, artist." Read more about him here.

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