Click on video above: Pastor's Corner - August 3, 2020
Archbishop Lori: How Church Teaching Can Help Explain Why ‘Black Lives Matter’
A Black Lives Matter protest on Thursday, July 23, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

by William E.Lori
Three of the most prominent words in today’s world are: Black Lives Matter. These words are emblazoned on streets, on public buildings and storefronts, on social media, in the windows of homes and indeed, at houses of worship. For some, these words are simply a call for racial justice long denied. For others, they are a call for fundamental changes in society. Many regard the words “Black Lives Matter” as self-evident. Others see them as divisive and partisan.
Is there a truth reflected in
these words that indeed resonates
with the Gospel values that
flow from our faith?
At the outset, it is important to clarify that my efforts here are not intended to address, and certainly not to endorse, the specific political organization legally known as the BlackLivesMatter Global Network. Many ideological platforms and tactical strategies promoted under the umbrella of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” are in direct contradiction to church teaching and should rightfully be rejected by faithful Catholics. Rather, the question before us as Catholics is this: Is there a truth reflected in these words that transcends partisan platforms and ideological constructs, a truth that indeed resonates with the Gospel values that flow from our faith? READ MORE
Via Instagram, Catholic colleges face a racial reckoning
Gasson Quandrangle at Boston College (Wikimedia Commons/BCLicious)

Editor's note:  It is NCR's practice to permit anonymous attribution in only rare circumstances, usually when it's the only way to report important information or perspective. This is one of those times. Some identifying information has been removed.

Black college students and alumni have taken to social media to ensure that elite Catholic educational institutions face a reckoning on systemic racism. 

Using Instagram, students and alumni are sharing their experiences — with prospective students, potential donors and each other — of what it is like for Black students to attend some of the country's most prestigious Catholic colleges and high schools. READ MORE
By John Lewis

Editor's Note: Mr. Lewis, the civil rights leader who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death, to be published upon the day of his funeral. Editorial Page Editor Kathleen Kingsbury wrote about this piece and Mr. Lewis’s legacy in Thursday’s edition of our Opinion Today newsletter .

While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity.

That is why I had to visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, though I was admitted to the hospital the following day. I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on. READ MORE