Mahony Urges Social Action Against Racism

Declaring that the “hard reality of discrimination and racism” undermines efforts to rebuild Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony has urged “people of goodwill,” including business and government leaders, to take specific steps to eliminate social injustice.

The cardinal, who heads the nation’s largest Roman Catholic archdiocese, directed his attention to Roman Catholic parishes, urging them to step up communication and sharing between ethnic groups among the Catholic faithful. His message came in a pastoral letter issued Thursday to the archdiocese’s 292 parish and mission churches.

“As a force of evil in the world, racism remains a powerful hindrance to the progress of all peoples to obtain justice in employment, education, health care and housing,” he wrote.

Mahony said it is the duty of all people, including business and government leaders, to eradicate racism and job discrimination.

His exhortation came in the wake of the riots in which at least 45 people were killed, 623 arson fires were set and about $1 billion in damage was suffered.

In the letter, issued to coincide with the feast of Pentecost on Sunday, Mahony drew a parallel between the cultural and ethnic diversity in biblical times and modern Los Angeles.

Pentecost commemorates the time when, according to Christian teaching, the Holy Spirit was given to the church 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ. According to Scripture, the Holy Spirit manifested itself during a gathering of the faithful. When the Spirit descended, the Scriptures said those present were able to understand each other even though they spoke different languages and represented different cultures.

“We see in their experience a model for our own,” Mahony wrote. “This year’s celebration of Pentecost has particular meaning for all of us in the Los Angeles archdiocese as we struggle to emerge from the civil strife which plagued us. . . and we must bravely and courageously face the discrimination and racism that lurk beneath the surface both in society and in the church.”

It is the duty of all Christians, Mahony said, to question whatever in society inhibits the just distribution of resources and opportunities.

“This is especially true in business and economic sectors, where the acquisition of funds and property often carries with it enormous power to control the lives of others,” Mahony wrote.

“Such privileges are burdened with commensurate responsibilities to question whether corporate or public policies affecting the access of all racial and ethnic groups to a fair use of capital have been securely guaranteed. Without such protection, economic discrimination increasingly becomes a disguise for racism, creating a seemingly unbreakable cycle of poverty and dependence. . .,” he said.

He also called upon parishes to launch new programs encouraging dialogue and understanding among ethnic groups within the church, and to step up “sister parish programs” in which parishes learn about each other through such activities as exchanges of choirs and youth groups.

Mahony directed Catholic schools and religious education programs to launch efforts in September to help students understand “the devastating impact of discrimination upon our society and how they can be effective channels of understanding and change.” The cardinal also called upon Catholic Charities and the archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace to assist various ethnic groups to develop cooperative economic development in poorer sections of the city.