Was the Catholic church for or against the awful treatment of blacks in the 50's?

Answer 1

+ Slavery +

The Catholic Church was one of the first groups to condemn slavery.

The Bible does not condemn slavery. Colossians 3:22 even states, "Slaves, obey your human masters in everything."

This was much debated before and during the US Civil War.

The condemnation of slavery is one of those nonbiblical doctrines that Catholics have developed through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit over the centuries.

+ In 1462, Pius II declared slavery to be "a great crime" (magnum scelus)

+ In 1537, Paul III forbade the enslavement of the Indians

+ Urban VIII forbade it in 1639

+ Benedict XIV forbade it in 1741

+ Pius VII demanded of the Congress of Vienna, in 1815, the suppression of the slave trade

+ Gregory XVI condemned it in 1839

+ In the Bull of Canonization of the Jesuit Peter Claver, one of the most illustrious adversaries of slavery, Pius IX branded the "supreme villainy" (summum nefas) of the slave traders.

+ Leo XIII, in 1888, addressed a letter to the Brazilian bishops, exhorting them to banish from their country the remnants of slavery -- a letter to which the bishops responded with their most energetic efforts, and some generous slave-owners by freeing their slaves in a body, as in the first ages of the Church.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14036a.htm

+ Discrimination +

Racism is against the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church:

Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity.

The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it:

Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.

+ Little Rock, Arkansas +

The bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock in 1957 at the time of the integration of Central High School was Albert Fletcher. Bishop Fletcher opposed racial bigotry and supported the peaceful integration of the schools. He even wrote a catechism in 1960, in which it was stated that racial hatred and segregation were immoral, as they violated both justice and charity.

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=341

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 2

The Catholic Church has always been against the awful treatment of anybody.

Back in the early 60s, the archbishop of New Orleans excommunicated three Louisiana state lawmakers, who were Catholic, over their pro-segregation stance.

Two of them recanted their segregationalist stances and were reconciled with the Church before they died.

That gives us an idea of how seriously the Church took the concept of equality.

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Answer 3

Anti-Catholic bias has an prolonged historic previous, as do different sorts of bias, including anti-clericalism. And it may well be stupid to think of that a number of the get exhilaration from with which those memories of priestly abuse are stated isn't pushed by skill of bigotry. That stated, Catholicism has long institutionalized an extremely weird and wonderful device wherein clergy self-opt for for deviance, the place deviance is excused and/or denied, and the place the academic and charitable missions of the religion, mutually with historic and monetary forces, place generations of childrens on the disposal of religious abusers. So if the shoe suits ... If it makes you experience extra effective, however, Islam is likewise barking mad and on stability, much extra bloody-minded. Do you think that, at base, the commonality is that those communities have confidence in a deity and provide temporal authority to monks empowered to show and interpret scripture?

Answer 4

Vic is partially right. The Catholic Church did benefit somewhat from slavery, but like most churches, there were those who helped Civil Rights and harmed them.

As for the KKK being "considered" Christian, today, only the KKK considers themselves Christian being condemned by almost all Christian denominations.

By the way, an increasing number of Ku Klux Klan members (and other reactionary racists) are increasingly following ancient pagan dieties, so maybe you should lump them with Wiccans, not Christians ;)

Answer 5

The Catholic Church has always defended the basic human rights of every person, from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

Answer 6

The Catholic Church has always been against segregation. Also, why don't you talk about Baptist churches or Protestant who kept quiet during these times in our country's history? All Christian churches were against segregation but most likely kept quiet.

Answer 7

Are you kidding yourself, the church has always stood behind the dignity of the human person period. The teachings of Christ given by him to his church about the human persons dignity is clear.

Answer 8

the church did give silent consent to the slave trade.... but as far as in the 50s, i dont think they had much to say about it.
when matters like that come up the church normally doesnt do anything about it. or keeps quiet

Answer 9

The Catholic Church didn't have anything to do with it, it was you Americans who enslaved black people for your own lazy purposes.

Answer 10

The catholic church was too busy abusing young boys and covering it up to really be aware of much of what was happening in the 50's.