https://nzcatholic.org.nz/2019/01/22/alleged-racism-confrontation-in-us-more-complex-than-first-portrayed/ The New Zealand National Catholic Newspaper Thu, 31 Jan 2019 03:11:09 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 https://nzcatholic.org.nz/2019/01/22/alleged-racism-confrontation-in-us-more-complex-than-first-portrayed/#comment-23321 Thu, 31 Jan 2019 03:11:09 +0000 https://nzcatholic.org.nz/?p=19062#comment-23321 Jesuit Fr Jim Martin should have no difficulty recalling the following passage from the Encyclical by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, on the subject of racism, [“Towards a Fraternal society”, The Church and Racism].
“…Other states still have varying traces of discriminatory legislation which limit to one degree or another the civil and religious rights of those belonging to religious minorities which are generally of different ethnic groups from those of the majority of citizens. On the basis of such religious and ethnic criteria, even though they are granted hospitality, the members of such minorities cannot, if they request it, obtain citizenship in the country where they live and work. It also happens that conversion to the Christian faith brings about a loss of citizenship. these persons, at any rate, remain second class citizens with regard, for instance, to higher education, to housing, to employment and especially to public administrative services in local communities. in this context, mention must also be made of those situations where a particular religious law, with its consequences for day- to- day living is imposed on other communities within the same country, as, for example, the “Sharia”, in some predominantly Muslim states. ”
Too often the bigger picture is concealed while small skirmishes occur on the periphery; many of which discourage any true debate about the reality, in this case, Islam, which favours no-one be they native Americans living on a reservation or others marching down the main street.
If Fr Jim wants to really serve his country and his church, he could bring the aforesaid to the notice of those who make the rules and pass the laws, which ultimately dictate the way of life for all Americans.
Impressionable Catholic youth should be told also if they do not breed as fast as their nearest competitor, Islam, they can look forward to the same fate as Buddhists in Afghanistan, Hindus in Pakistan and Malaysia, or Christians in Iraq, North Africa, and Turkey. This is the reality. It is not racist to have four or more children per family, nor is it xenophobic, or Islamophobic. Marching against abortion is a positive move for America’s very survival. It is about lifting the birth-rate.

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