Racial Segregation

[Dave]

I've encountered some people who, while they claim they don't hate anyone or believe anybody is better than anybody else, firmly believe in racial segregation. They claim that that's what God intended by making the world the way He did -- Africa for black people, Asia for Asians, Europe for white people, etc. Needless to say, they also oppose interracial marriage. Actually, they claim segregation has always been what the Church believed (yes, these folks call themselves Catholic) and cite alleged quotes from the saints (probably taken out of context) to support their claims. What has the Church REALLY always taught about racial segregation? I refuse to believe that she ever supported it. Thanks in advance.

[CatherineM]

I'm someone who grew up where there were separate water fountains and waiting rooms for African Americans. I was young but I remember asking my father about it once at the doctor's office. It was as if when I asked about it, he actually put thought to it, and we left and got another doctor. It was kind of like from the story of the Emperor's new clothes.

Segregation was civil law. The Church hasn't had real civil authority in several centuries. As an example, before the schools in Little Rock, Arkansas were desegregated, the Catholic schools were segregated because it was state law. The bishop at the time said that as soon as desegregation came to the public schools, the Catholic schools would integrate as well, eventhough they weren't legally required to. The Archbishop of New Orleans actively fought against segregation, publicly excommunicating Catholics who opposed his integration of the Catholic schools there, and placing an interdict on a parish that had turned away African parishioners.

Many Saints were slaves at one time, including my favorite, St. Patrick. There have been several Papal Bulls written condemning slavery and excommunicating those involved in it, including ones from Pope Sixtus IV, Pope Eugene IV, Pope Urban, Pope Paul III, and Pope Pius II. St. Thomas Aquinas, whose theology is the basis of our moral theology, said that slavery was a sin and against Natural Law.

Here is a link to a pastoral letter dealing expressly with segregation.
[url="http://www.arch-no.org/12.15_pastoral_final.pdf"]http://www.arch-no.org/12.15_pastoral_final.pdf[/url]

The Vatican actively opposed Apartheid in South Africa, as it continues to denounce racism and bigotry wherever it rears its ugly head. There have been Catholics through the centuries who have supported slavery and racism, but they did so, not under the veil of the Church but due to the time and culture that they lived in.

People who are opposed to the Catholic Church can always find some person or event in history to point a finger at to show that we have fallen short. Those instances do not prove that the Catholic Church is wrong or bad, it just shows that Jesus had to leave his perfect Church in the hands of imperfect humans.