SCCR Parish Blog

  Pope Pius VII, who condemned slavery The Church has always been involved in the "hot button" issues of the current day.  Not because she is a political institution, but often because they have a moral dimension and the Church teaches us how to live in order to remain in Communion with Christ and build His Kingdom. There is a a Catholic blog which is always worth reading entitled The Catholic Thing. They have an intriguing piece on how the Church reacted to the grave evil of slavery in the past (which was widely accepted but the Church condemned) and the grave evil of abortion today (which is widely accepted in our culture but the Church condemns). What is intriguing about it is how many who profess to be Catholic today simply shrug at the question of abortion and tell the Church not to be "political" about it and let those who promote it receive Communion, but are certain they would have been the ones opposing slavery -- and siding with the Church against the cul...

We are busy getting ready to move offices in the parish. But in between moving, I will try to add a few things about the Church and racism, as that continues to be in the news.  Please check back later for updates. The first thing to note is that the Catholic Church is not a "Johnny come lately" to this issue.  She has always taught that there is one human family, descendants of Adam and Eve, and that the common bond of being brothers and sisters in Christ by divine adoption means that our ethnic differences should not be a source of division.  She has also taught that each person has a right to be  treated in accord with his or her inherent dignity, being made in the image and likeness of God. As just one example, the Popes have condemned the institution of slavery since before the Europeans arrived in the New World.   Long before there were politically organized abolitionist movements, for instance, the Church had been on the forefront of insisting that ...

As many people know, the topic of racism has become a very hot topic in the light of recent events. So it is good to know what the Church has always taught about this topic, from the beginning, since this is not a new problem.  The Church has had 2,000 years of experience in dealing with all of the problems that have plagued sinful mankind since the first sin of Adam and Eve. That teaching is summed up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The relevant section is copied below and at this link ). This includes some Scripture references and various writings of the saints and church documents, such as those written in the 1960s at the Second Vatican Council. The Church does NOT take a stand on particular political solutions to the problem.  That is something that Christians can disagree on but should work out together harmoniously in accord with the common good, guided by these universal truths. However, the principles and guidelines are not negotiable, since they come from th...