NCR: Charlottesville Catholics challenged to confront sin of racism
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — Committed lay Catholics here, stung by the worldwide attention given their city by hundreds of white supremacists and armed neo-Nazis last August, are "grappling with the sin of racism" within the church and their community.
A daylong "exploration of racism and Catholicism" convened by the Casa Alma Catholic Worker community Jan. 20 drew nearly 100 to the Church of the Incarnation to pray, reflect and hear speakers challenge them to confront racism and white supremacy.
Following the Aug. 11-12, 2017, "Unite the Right" rally that left one person dead and 30 wounded, "a lot of people asked Casa Alma what was the Catholic Church response" to the overt demonstration of racism, said Catholic Worker leader Laura Brown.
Although many lay Catholics joined the counterprotest against the white nationalists, some have expressed concern about the absence of visible Catholic clergy on the front lines alongside several fully garbed Protestant, Jewish and Muslim leaders. "There were a lot of Catholics there, but no leadership," said a participant who asked not to be named.
