Faith does not look at colour

Editorial Staff

For weeks we saw on TV and in the newspapers images of the heated protest against racism called “Black lives matter”, which broke out in the USA and then around the world following the violent death of George Floyd, brutally stopped by the police. On such occasions, I have not heard associations, movements, or Church figures organise marches, demonstrations, or conferences to condemn racism, but personally, I have not felt the need to do so. And I say this because in my opinion the Church must be recognised that her message and her witness have always been in favour of inclusion and respect for people of all skin colours. Certainly, in the past the Church has not been free from errors in this regard, it is enough to mention the period of the “conquistadores”, but even then, when the European man was still developing a mentality of respect towards the “new world”, it seems to me that the Church has always tried to promote the integration and development of every person. Do you share my opinion?

M.N.

Dear friend, I think I can share your opinion about the usual tendency of the Church to favour integration between races, cultures, and social classes. The message of the Gospel can be summed up in one word: fraternity! From the earliest hours of the Church’s life, on the one hand, there has been a clear desire and impetus towards radical integration in order to avoid any discrimination, and on the other hand, there has never been a lack of effort to accept all the consequences of that freedom and responsibility to which every disciple is called. Yes, the Church has been capable throughout the centuries of preserving and transmitting the Gospel in its purity, yet not infrequently has she not lived up to the demands of the Gospel because of a series of fragility and the temptation, always lurking, to allow herself to be contaminated by worldliness. Today the challenge is the same as ever: to accept the Gospel and know how to pay the price of the Gospel! From this point of view, as you say, it was not necessary to organize further demonstrations on the occasion of the violent death of George Floyd because it was clear that no disciple of Christ could remain insensitive to such an inhuman gesture. Therefore, all that remains is for us to begin again every day in order to be authentically faithful to God and brothers and sisters to all and for all.