While the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial seems to have brought a conclusion to a very tense chapter in our local history, the work of reconciliation — repairing and restoring right relationships with one another and with God — has to be ongoing.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda
In his latest encyclical letter, “Fratelli Tutti (Brothers and Sisters All),” Pope Francis reminds us that people of faith cannot be indifferent to the needs of our neighbors. We live in a world in which we are all connected, and it falls to us as believers to promote true fraternity, true “social friendship.” The Holy Father insightfully notes, “We need to develop the awareness that nowadays we are either all saved together or no one is saved. Poverty, decadence and suffering in one part of the earth are a silent breeding ground for problems that will end up affecting the entire planet” (No. 137). St. Paul made much the same point when he introduced the Corinthians to the analogy of the Body of Christ: If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy” (1 Cor 12:26).
The Church teaches that in that web of relationships there is no place for anti-Semitism, or racism, or any other “ism” or prejudice that distorts our fundamental relationship as sons and daughters of one God, and as brothers and sisters of the Reconciler who offered his life for us on the cross. It’s the Evil One who divides and fragments, while Jesus is the one who accompanies and unites.
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has promoted dialogue as a means for working for the unity that our Creator desires. In “Fratelli Tutti,” he distinguishes true dialogue from the “parallel monologues” that we see, for example, in “the feverish exchange of opinions on social networks” (No. 200). One of our tasks as Church is to see how we can facilitate true dialogue in a way that leads to greater unity.
In a statement issued shortly before the Chauvin verdict was announced, the leaders of the dioceses of Minnesota pledged our commitment to being facilitators of dialogue in the effort to bring healing into our communities. We bring to that mission our link to the universal Church. We’re blessed to be part of a Church centered on Christ that stretches around the world and that is multiracial and multicultural. We have had at least three African Popes in our history, and the present Successor of St. Peter is a Latino with a truly global vision. He leads a Church that is found on all continents and that has been experiencing great growth in Africa, Asia and South America. While that sadly doesn’t insulate us from experiences of racism or prejudice even within the Church, it does give us the opportunity to bring to the table the wisdom and experience of a Church that has the potential of being at home in every society, and is limited to no one race, culture or nationality.
Everlyn Wentzlaff, right, prays during vespers at St. Thomas More April 22 in memory of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was killed by a white police officer during a traffic stop April 11 in Brooklyn Center. At left is Mary Fratto of St. Thomas More. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
I have felt blessed in the course of my time here in the archdiocese by the witness to Christ that is given by a diverse family in faith. The universality of the Church is not merely theoretical here, but actually a lived reality. How grateful I am to be able to hear firsthand from our Black Catholic brothers and sisters in the Twin Cities their pained responses to the deaths of Philando Castile, George Floyd and Daunte Wright, or their concern for their kids. Or to learn from the parishioners at Gichitwaa Kateri about the experience of uprooted Native Americans, or from our Karen and Karenni brothers and sisters about the anxiety they are feeling as a result of martial law in Myanmar, or from young Hmong and Vietnamese Catholics who shared experiences of prejudice against Asian Americans in the midst of this pandemic, or from Latino leaders about families torn apart by immigration issues. That’s all within our archdiocesan faith family, and amazingly real and relevant as we strive to address the anxieties of our day. When the Catholic Church comes to the table as a partner in dialogue, we have the potential of bringing with us all of those rich experiences, experiences that have the opportunity of creating a natural bond with our brothers and sisters in need.
Please pray that we might use well the gifts and opportunities with which we have been blessed to build up an authentic fraternity between diverse groups and populations. As good listeners and partners in dialogue, may we be reconcilers after the heart of Jesus.
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