Denver Newsroom, Dec 9, 2021 / 11:28 am
An image portraying the Virgin Mary and Jesus as Black in a way that some critics said politicized religion to comment on the murder of George Floyd was defended and replaced by Catholic University of America officials after it was stolen in late November. The university’s student government, however, has now passed a resolution calling for the image to be replaced with other art that better fulfills the needs for theological art and representation of the Black community.
“There are other paintings and icons that do a much better job at making a genuine, good faith effort to reflect the universality of the Catholic Church that also do not divide and confuse the university and larger Catholic community,” said the resolution, passed by the student government senate, in a 15-9 vote on Dec. 6.
The resolution’s title said it aimed to “unify the community by replacing controversial icons.” The text asks for the university to remove the paintings from university buildings and to work to replace them with “other forms of art that represent diversity and bring forth representation of the African American community in a non-political and uncontroversial way.”
CNA contacted the university for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.