Archdiocese
of Chicago | Catholic Values | Catholic
Teaching
DISCRIMINATION
AND RACISM
Reproduced
below is a discussion of one of the issues included in the U.S. Catholic
Bishops’ Political Responsibility Statement.
Discrimination
based on sex, race, ethnicity, or age continues to exist in our
nation. Signs of increased racial hostility poison our society.
Such discrimination constitutes a grave injustice and an affront
to human dignity. It must be aggressively resisted by every individual
and rooted out of every social institution and structure. Discrimination
on the basis of race, sex, or other arbitrary standards can never
be justified. Where the effects of past discrimination persist,
society has the obligation to take positive steps to overcome the
legacy of injustice. We support judiciously administered affirmative
action programs as tools to overcome discrimination and its continuing
effects.
Racism is a
particularly serious form of discrimination. Despite significant
strides in eliminating racial prejudices in our country, there remains
an urgent need for continued reconciliation in this area and continued
commitment to move forward to overcome more subtle but still destructive
forms of discrimination and intolerance. Racism is not merely one
sin among many. It is a radical evil dividing the human family.
