Authentically Black & Truly Catholic: What God Has Joined...

The Washington Post recently published an article addressing a dispute between the Catholic university's America and the national Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Students at Catholic University had petitioned theschool for the establishment of a NAACP chapter on campus.

This impasse has a potentially vexing aspect for African American Roman Catholics. In 1984, the Reverend Edward K. Braxton (currently the Bishop of Lake Charles, Louisiana) proudly asserted that black Catholics were authentically black and truly Catholic. The subtext of the statement was a reference to the belief, held by many minorities of good will, that to be faithful to every tenet of Catholic orthodoxy could be incongruous and potentially injurious to black pride, identity and self respect. To be authentically black and truly Catholic was to say there is no (and there should never be a) division between being true to one ethnic-cultural heritage and their particular faith tradition. The conflict between the Catholic University of America (CUA) and the nation's oldest and largest civil rights orgaization once again sheds light on how divisive faith and culture can be in or post-modern context.

Is the Catholic Church being intolerant, bigoted and racist as the June 4th statment of the NAACP indicates ? Is the NAACP being disrespectful, and intolerant of established orthodox church teaching in its endorsement of a woman's right to choose? Can black Catholics have it both ways? If we concur with the osition of CUA have we capitulated to the "over culture" and committed an act of of betrayal to the black community? Moreover, is it permissible to pulbicly descent from a pronouncement of the Catholic hierarchy and/or institution of Catholic auspices and still be a loyal catholic?

As an African American priest its my hope and prayer that my brother black priests ad bishops have been in communication with Kweisi Mfume of the NAACP and the Reverend David M. O'Connell,C.M. of CUA to help faciilitate a resolution to this matter. For more than a century, African American Catholics prayed for Black priests and bishops. Now its imperative that we make bold, positive and constructive steps to maintain the unity and diversity that God ordained.

A cursory reading of the Catholic Church in the US, as well as, the history of the civil rights movement indicates that the Catholic Church and the NAACP have been allies in the struggle for justice, equality and peace for many decades. From my vantage point, the NAACP continues in that noble tradition by its current advocacy of minorities, women and all others that seek justice, fairness and respect. In sum, this priest believes that the mission of the Catholic university of America is not incompatible witht he mission of the NAACP.

African Americans that are Catholic were given two special blessings: The gift of blackness and the gift of a faith. These two gifts were conjoined in the human person. What God has joined, let no one separate!