In wake of Chauvin trial, Church leaders turn to Christ’s justice to heal ‘wound of racism’

As the Twin Cities and the nation continue to absorb events that led to the April 20 guilty verdict of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, leaders in the Catholic Church are pointing a way forward: Christ’s example of forgiveness, compassion and thirst for justice.

“We wish to hold up before all peoples the image of the Crucified Christ,” the bishops of Minnesota said in a statement issued shortly before the jury announced it had found Chauvin guilty on all counts: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

“Jesus Christ gave his life to bring eternal justice, reconciliation and salvation to all peoples. He is before us as a witness, because he is fully God and fully man, to the healing power of forgiveness, compassion, reconciliation and peace,” the bishops said.

There is work to do, the bishops said, observing that Chauvin’s trial reopened questions about the impact of racism on society and culture.

“As the U.S. bishops noted in a 2018 pastoral letter on racism, ‘Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love,’ it is a sad and undeniable truth that racial prejudice and discrimination continue to impact the lives and livelihoods of millions of U.S. citizens,” the bishops said. “There is far too much evidence that prejudice has an impact in criminal justice matters, influencing not only the way individuals are treated by some police and court systems but also the rates of incarceration. Whatever the verdict may be in the Chauvin trial, the Church remains committed to providing long-term leadership in eradicating the structures of sin and racism in Minnesota and beyond.”

Chauvin, who is white, was accused of causing Floyd’s death by kneeling on Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes on May 25, 2020, after Floyd, an African American, was accused by a store clerk of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd resisted being taken into a squad car. As he lay handcuffed, face down on the ground, Floyd repeatedly told the officers he could not breathe before losing consciousness.

Chauvin is scheduled for sentencing in June. Three other officers are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. They face a joint trial in August.

A crowd of people watched the officers restrain Floyd; several tried to intervene. One bystander captured part of the incident on a cell phone video that went viral on social media, sparking weeks of protests and riots in the Twin Cities, across the country and parts of the world. Rioters looted and set fire to businesses in Minneapolis and St. Paul, including a Minneapolis police headquarters building.

The trial lasted three weeks. Jurors deliberated about 10 hours over two days before delivering their verdict at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis. Police and Minnesota National Guard officers patrolled the city’s streets throughout the trial. Fencing was erected in front of the government center and other buildings. Businesses boarded up their windows.

Just nine days before the verdict was rendered, another African American, Daunte Wright, was killed during a traffic stop in nearby Brooklyn Center, igniting several nights of protests and vandalism in that city. Police officers learned Wright had an outstanding warrant and began to arrest him. Wright tried to get back into his vehicle and he was shot and killed. Police said it appeared one of the officers, Kimberly Potter, who later resigned, mistook her gun for a Taser and shot Wright once in the chest. Potter is charged with second-degree manslaughter.

In the two-page Minnesota bishops’ statement released by Minnesota Catholic Conference, Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens were joined by the bishops or diocesan administrators of the state’s five other dioceses. They noted the violent protests that immediately followed Floyd’s death. Anger or hatred cannot prevail, the bishops said.

“The violent protests of these past months across our country have done very little to improve the lives of people of color living in intergenerational poverty or to address their basic needs for good schools and safer neighborhoods for their children, access to capital to start businesses, better social services, and support for marriages and families.”

“To heal the wound of racism, we must open our hearts to allow God’s amazing grace to be the light that fills us and the light that we share with our neighbors,” the bishops said. “As a diverse community, the Catholic Church is committed to changing hearts and minds and to moving the conversation about race in this country beyond accusations and recriminations toward practical, nonviolent solutions to the everyday problems that are encountered in these communities. We will continue to do this through teaching the truth of human dignity, offering charity to our neighbors of every race, and advocating for those who are most vulnerable.”

The Church also challenges assertions that the United States is “fundamentally racist,” the bishops said. “The truth is that, although we have much further to go, the nation has made great strides in addressing historic evils and wrongdoing. To deny or distort the truth about our history and the goals set and achieved, particularly by black Americans, misrepresents the truth and dishonors their sacrifices while also rhetorically disenfranchising and disempowering the heirs to the fruit of their efforts who are currently engaged in restorative justice efforts.”

Archbishop Hebda released a separate statement after the verdict, calling it “a sobering moment for our community.”

Jesus calls people, through their “shared brotherhood,” to “a deeper respect for all human life,” the archbishop said. “We ask him to bring healing into our communities, comfort to the family of George Floyd and all who mourn, and satisfaction to those who thirst for justice.”

The jurors’ verdict in Chauvin’s case did not lead to more protests and riots. It was met with relief and hope among many who gathered to hear it in front of the Government Center. A joyful mood prevailed at the George Floyd Memorial, the site where Floyd was killed.

Carole Burton, a 53-year-old business leadership, equity and workplace trainer and a member of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, told The Catholic Spirit several days after the verdict that she followed the trial and recognized its significance. But it was a moment, she said.

“It’s an important moment,” said Burton, who is Black. “We as Catholics have a lot of work to do. In our workplaces and where we gather in large places, that is where change will take place. It’s up to us to commit and to opt in and to dig in.”

Everlyn Wentzlaff, 69, a parishioner at St. Peter Claver in St. Paul who helped organize a Peaceful Presence prayer group in the church during the trial, said she sees the Church’s role as “being there for the community and to listen, and to speak up and to speak out.” She also wants to see people of color “at the table” as the Church in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis addresses racism and racial injustice.

“We are here, and we want to be seen, and we want to be heard,” said Wentzlaff, who is Black and who converted to Catholicism 25 years ago. “Catholics can be supportive. You don’t have to be Black to support Black people.”

President Joe Biden called Floyd’s family after the verdict was announced. The president and Vice President Kamala Harris later remarked on the trial from the White House foyer. Biden said the verdict could mark a step forward, but much work remains to be done to confront systemic racism, which he called “a stain on our nation’s soul.”

St. Catherine University in St. Paul closed April 21 for a day of reflection following the verdict. In an Instagram post the university encouraged students and staff to reflect on the situation. “We pray for peace, for strength and for love of the dear neighbor,” the post said.

Since Floyd’s death, Archbishop Hebda has been encouraging the faithful of the archdiocese to join him in prayers for peace and justice. In the days following Floyd’s death, he expressed horror at what was shown in the bystander’s video.

“It’s shocking that there could be in anybody’s heart such an absence of concern for human life,” he told The Catholic Spirit May 29, 2020. “And listening to him (Floyd) say that he can’t breathe, or listening to him call to his mother, it’s gut wrenching. I’ve said that before, and that hasn’t really subsided. … That video is probably more devastating than anything I’ve ever seen.”

On the weekend before the trial began, the archbishop shared prayer with other faith leaders in front of the Government Center. As closing arguments were scheduled to begin, the archbishop held a special Mass “For the Preservation of Peace and Justice” at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, and he urged all priests of the archdiocese to celebrate that special Mass on the same day.

At the April 19 Mass, the archbishop in his homily noted that the issues of racism, peace and justice were larger than one person can solve, but that did not mean people should do nothing.

“We can’t singlehandedly force healing to those who feel the wounds of racism in our land,” the archbishop said. “We can’t bring George Floyd back to life, or Daunte Wright back to life. Does that mean we do nothing? Absolutely not.”

Catholic parishes and schools in the archdiocese responded to the protests and riots, the unease and unrest, with prayers, workshops and study groups on racism. The day after Wright’s death, Father Paul Shovelain, pastor of St. John the Baptist in New Brighton, got on his church roof and prayed a rosary he livestreamed on Facebook as he gazed at the homes and businesses, churches and schools of Brooklyn Center, only miles away, one hour after a citywide 7 p.m. curfew went into effect.

At St. Thomas More in St. Paul, members of an anti-racism task force organized two hours of prayer every weekday afternoon during the Chauvin trial. The church was open from 3-5 p.m. to offer a “peaceful presence,” for people to quietly reflect and pray for peace. A similar prayer opportunity was held at St. Peter Claver in St. Paul on Wednesday evenings.

On April 17, Father Paul Jarvis, pastor of St. Bridget in north Minneapolis, and several parishioners walked the neighborhood in an ecumenical group called Come Together, praying for all victims of violence.

Dean Rademacher, parish director at St. Joseph in New Hope, said parishioners there recently formed a Peace and Justice Commission. Its first project is a book club meeting via Zoom to discuss chapter-by-chapter a book titled “A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota,” a 2016 compilation of 16 essays by people of color from the Minnesota Historical Society. Discussions are impactful, and they mark a step in the direction of greater understanding, Rademacher said.

“We always tie it into Catholic social teaching,” he said. “There is a wisdom that’s been around a long time.”