Perspective: D.C. has its first black archbishop, but what took so long? Look to the history of black U.S. Catholicism.
Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, designated by Pope Francis to lead the Archdiocese of Washington, speaks at a news conference in Hyattsville, Md., on Thursday. By Anthea Butler Anthea Butler Bio Follow April 4 at 4:39 PM Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory’s appointment to lead the Archdiocese of Washington is a long-overdue honor for Gregory and the long-suffering black Catholic community in the United States.
The Jesuits ordained Patrick Francis Healy, a former slave, as president of Georgetown University, but the Maryland Province Jesuits also owned slaves. Only recently has the story of the sale of those slaves and restitution for their descendants become an important discussion within the university and Jesuit communities.
In the 20th century, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus would call out the racism of the American Catholic church in the aftermath of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., stating that “the Catholic Church, primarily a white racist institution, has addressed itself primarily to white society and is definitely part of that society.”
Gregory’s appointment is a turning point, but this appointment alone does not mean that racial issues are resolved in the U.S. Catholic Church. Racism is the reason it has taken so long for a black bishop to be in contention to become a cardinal. Gregory’s predecessor, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, a year earlier had issued an impassioned pastoral letter against racism. Against the backdrop of the rise of racial incidents, the new archbishop will have his work cut out for him with this appointment in the nation’s capital.
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