He also spoke of problems in cross-cultural understanding. During Holy Week, a Hispanic community organized a Good Friday display that included an image of Judas hanging himself from a tree. The use of a noose disturbed African Americans in the community, who disproportionately suffered from lynchings and mob killings up through the 20th century.
Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham spoke in support of the letter, citing Birmingham's role as "ground zero of the civil rights movement."
"We've come a long way in Birmingham from 50 years ago and we are still trying to achieve the goals of this document," he said.
The letter acknowledges progress against "the evil of racism" since the bishops last addressed the topic, in a 1979 letter.
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas said his experience as a priest serving an African American community made him a better priest. He voiced appreciation of the letter's connection to the pro-life movement in rejecting "any attack on the dignity of the person," including racism.
From Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix came gratitude for the letter's focus on Native Americans and its recognition of "all they have suffered" and their contributions to the Church today. In the Phoenix diocese there are 11 missions to Native Americans, and 80 percent of Catholics under age 20 are Hispanic.
Bishop Larry Silva of Honolulu said that "gross expressions of racism" need to be addressed. He also wondered about smaller expressions of racism that may not even rise to the level of sin but still impede unity.
In one community, some African Americans tended to mistreat Hispanics, while in another an Asian community was "very hostile" to Hispanics in a way that was "a scandal," he said. In another parish, despite leadership saying they wanted to include Hispanics, "they just didn't get the fact that holding the parish council meeting during the Spanish Mass was a problem of not including Hispanics."
Bishop Fabre said the letter is for "Catholics and all people of good will," with practical suggestions for individuals, families, dioceses, and individuals, as well as Catholic organizations.
Bishop George Murry, S.J. of Youngstown had originally led the effort, but poor heath prevented him from continuing.
Fabre emphasized the intense, prolonged collaboration among many bishops to produce the text, which he called "a true expression of our collegiality." The initiative has attracted interest from both Catholics and non-Catholics and will be a foundation for the U.S. bishops' future work.
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By a unanimous voice vote, the bishops also approved the continuation of the canonization cause of Sister Thea Bowman, overseen by the Diocese of Jackson.
She was born to a Methodist family in Yazoo City in 1937 and was the granddaughter of former slaves. She converted to Catholicism due to the witness of religious sisters and joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. She became an advocate of racial integration and of African Americans in society and the Church, and founded the National Black Sisters Conference.