June 2023
“On the road to racial justice, the Archdiocese of Baltimore must acknowledge and atone for the Catholic Church’s participation in the institution of slavery and the sin of racism that grievously undermined and contradicted our belief and teaching of the dignity of every human being.”
– Archbishop William E. Lori
Rachel L. Swarns’ book, “The 272,” documents failures in the Church’s history through the enslavement of men, women and children by former bishops, members of the clergy, religious communities and parishioners. The author points out the ways the Church benefitted from the denial of their fundamental rights, profited from their unpaid and forcibly coerced labor and collected proceeds from the sale of fellow human beings that inflicted terror and unimaginable emotional harm as families were torn apart.
We must not look away from or conceal this painful history and, indeed, the Archdiocese’s work continues in earnest to identify and honor the contributions of our enslaved brothers and sisters. The Archdiocese’s Commission on Slavery is the latest effort of the local Church to acknowledge and confront such injustice. This 17-member panel is made of up of historians, educators, researchers, clergy, parishioners and experts in diversity, equity and inclusion.
While the commission’s work is ongoing, this undertaking marks neither the beginning nor the end of the Archdiocese’s anti-racism journey. Prayer, dialogue, repentance and the guidance of the Holy Spirit will lead the way.