One of the most upsetting and frightening for me is the lessening of shock I have at yet another act of pure targeted violence as the latest carried out in Buffalo NY. The following article addresses this particular act of violence.
It is evil for all of the obvious reasons: an 18-year-old white supremacist murdered Black men and women three and a half hours from his home due to some perceived existential threat. This is a sickness that runs deep. It is, in every sense, an outrage.
But how we as a society respond to these mass shootings is also outrageous. From Pittsburgh to San Bernardino, from El Paso to Sandy Hook, we mourn, but most of us do not act. Perhaps some have ceased to care; but I suspect most have simply lost hope that we have the power to prevent the next tragedy. We are conquered by death. For Christians, this is an unacceptable premise.
Our public policies can shape who has the power to inflict suffering and on whom they can inflict it with ease. In Buffalo, for example, the particular supermarket targeted by the white supremacist was the only market in what was otherwise a food desert, in a part of the city with a high concentration of Black residents—de facto segregation that is a byproduct of federal, state and city policies. For someone who is driven by a racist conspiracy theory, this is as opportune a target as it gets.
For Catholics, the answer is relatively simple: subsidiarity. We need to make decisions at the lowest competent level to empower people to engage in society. Coupled with our sense of justice and mercy, and remaining conscientious of the nature of our government, we have to show up and represent what we believe: that people matter. That the common good is more important than a political career. That we need to actively, thoughtfully and critically engage ideas in the public sphere in good faith and with honest debate. Accountability is a crucial component in achieving Christian ends in public life; Catholic leaders must employ our tradition, which continues to provide us with an understanding of what we should expect from those we entrust with our representation.
Both our theological and historical traditions demand a radical response rooted in the Gospel. This is not an uncomplicated history. In the American context, our church is opposed to white nationalism, to racism and to anti-Semitism. It has also enabled each of them in particular times and places. We have the likes of Msgr. James Kirwin, who opposed the Ku Klux Klan in Galveston, Tex., in the early 20th century; and then we have that of Father Charles Coughlin, who spewed anti-Semitism on the airwaves just a few decades later.
Three questions white Catholics must ask themselves after the racist shooting in Buffalo | America Magazine
It is evil for all of the obvious reasons: an 18-year-old white supremacist murdered Black men and women three and a half hours from his home due to some perceived existential threat. This is a sickness that runs deep. It is, in every sense, an outrage.
But how we as a society respond to these mass shootings is also outrageous. From Pittsburgh to San Bernardino, from El Paso to Sandy Hook, we mourn, but most of us do not act. Perhaps some have ceased to care; but I suspect most have simply lost hope that we have the power to prevent the next tragedy. We are conquered by death. For Christians, this is an unacceptable premise.
Our public policies can shape who has the power to inflict suffering and on whom they can inflict it with ease. In Buffalo, for example, the particular supermarket targeted by the white supremacist was the only market in what was otherwise a food desert, in a part of the city with a high concentration of Black residents—de facto segregation that is a byproduct of federal, state and city policies. For someone who is driven by a racist conspiracy theory, this is as opportune a target as it gets.
For Catholics, the answer is relatively simple: subsidiarity. We need to make decisions at the lowest competent level to empower people to engage in society. Coupled with our sense of justice and mercy, and remaining conscientious of the nature of our government, we have to show up and represent what we believe: that people matter. That the common good is more important than a political career. That we need to actively, thoughtfully and critically engage ideas in the public sphere in good faith and with honest debate. Accountability is a crucial component in achieving Christian ends in public life; Catholic leaders must employ our tradition, which continues to provide us with an understanding of what we should expect from those we entrust with our representation.
Both our theological and historical traditions demand a radical response rooted in the Gospel. This is not an uncomplicated history. In the American context, our church is opposed to white nationalism, to racism and to anti-Semitism. It has also enabled each of them in particular times and places. We have the likes of Msgr. James Kirwin, who opposed the Ku Klux Klan in Galveston, Tex., in the early 20th century; and then we have that of Father Charles Coughlin, who spewed anti-Semitism on the airwaves just a few decades later.
Three questions white Catholics must ask themselves after the racist shooting in Buffalo | America Magazine
