Our Spirit
Racial Justice Sunday 10 th September 2006
A Statement from CARJ (Catholic Association for Racial Justice) in Britain.
As we celebrate faith through action on Racial Justice Sunday, CARJ remains acutely aware of the challenges that continue to face us in twenty-first century Britain. These challenges - social, cultural, religious, political and economic - call upon us as Christians to intensify our struggle against racism and racial discrimination.
The overt racism that many settled migrants once faced has been replaced by something that is often much more subtly expressed, but no less evil. In our multicultural, multi-faith, diverse society, racism has not diminished; rather, it has insidiously broadened its remit to spread fear and intimidation among people of all ethnicities.
We have often heard it said that a society will be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. Those who are marginalized and excluded have an urgent claim on its conscience. Too many groups in our society - people from minority ethnic communities, migrants, refugees & asylum seekers, gypsies & travellers - continue to be marginalized & devalued.
We live in a time of fear and uncertainty. We must be careful not to encourage or endorse a culture of xenophobia. We must understand that racism will not disappear from our Church or our society without a concerted and sustained effort to oppose its every manifestation.
Our faith calls us to spread the gospel to all corners of our society, especially to those who remain in the shadows. I urge you, as individuals, as a Church and as a society, to address these complex issues that have the potential to divide us. We are one human family. We are one race, the human race.
For more information about CARJ visit www.carj.org.uk