Washington D.C., Jan 5, 2017 / 13:30 pm
The Catholic Church can be a force for healing race relations, said the U.S. bishops' task force on racism and peace in a newly released report.
"We find ourselves at a critically important moment for our individual communities and our nation as a whole," Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta said in the report's introduction. "The Church has a tremendous opportunity and, we believe, an equally tremendous responsibility to bring people together in prayer and dialogue, to begin anew the vital work of fostering healing and lasting peace."
Efforts to "root out racism" and "create healthy dynamics in our neighborhoods" are long-term projects, said the archbishop, who had served as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2001 to 2004.
He wrote the introduction to the report of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Special Task Force to Promote Peace in Our Communities, released Jan. 5.