By R. D.
This Blog is part of our series and opinion on the quality of life, humanity, tolerance, education, upward mobility, awareness, public safety and accountability
An Open Letter
New Era: Dear Pope Francis, Your election in March 2013 marked a significant change in the Roman Catholic Church. Being the first from Latin America and a Jesuit, your appointment to this leadership position emphasizes the importance of the church redirecting its attention to those who have been overlooked.
However, following the recent scandal of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, which many have been calling a cover-up for decades and which has ruined lives, there is a breath of fresh air.
The world does not expect an overnight sea change in the world. Some have tried and failed, and it takes an alternate method, even walking a careful scriptural line and/or political ideology, to get our society closer to a systematic societal split along many fronts that is overdue.
I have spoken with a few Black and brown people who are happy about your Latin American trip, and I know that sometimes geopolitics pushes the church to take another look at how it considers world issues that include greed, inequality, racism, tolerance, and the chasm between haves and have-nots.
Though many of us who embraced the faith from our parents’ teaching as children are now on the sidelines, and recently we are rethinking our departure. Even some nonbelievers admire the church’s new platform of openness for dialogue, but they too have more questions than scriptures.
In contemporary discourse, there remains a persistent tension regarding the compatibility of sexuality with biblical teachings and various philosophical frameworks that perpetuate the marginalization of certain communities. Nevertheless, the church persists and possesses the capacity to convey a profound message of tolerance that transcends the confines of the pulpit.
I am reaching out not as an individual defined by sexual orientation or religious beliefs, but as a person who holds the conviction that our collective humanity requires a profound renewal. Reflecting on Saint Paul’s epistle to the Romans, one can discern a profound appeal for unity.
Your visit, Pope Francis, especially to Ecuador, Bolivia, and Paraguay, is set to strengthen that message and realign the Catholic faith’s direction amidst pressing questions about its future.
Several cultures fled tragedies centuries ago based only on religious convictions, and this divide remains today. We cannot ignore the racial prejudice that has always existed at this institution. While communion implies unity, many participants still hold anti-Semitic views, racist attitudes toward Black individuals, and beliefs that conflict with gender equality, as well as the notion that one’s socioeconomic status dictates seating arrangements within the church.
In many Latin American countries, Black people continue to face discrimination. I will use the term “the less dark color” instead of “people of color” in this context. Simply put, when many lighter-skinned Hispanics migrate to other industrial countries, some become aware that they are people of color.
Unfortunately, some people still believe that Black people should be over there and less than others, but only through education and collaboration can these groups of color become a force. Letonly through education and collaboration can these groups of color become a force, but let me return to this trip.
The Confession, or the alternative lesson, was rarely talked about.
The Catholic Church still enjoys over 40 percent of its members from the region, which is about 430 million throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, according to religious scholars. And approximately 69 percent of adults in Latin America identified as Catholic. Many political leaders would be on their knees praying for these numbers today in a much-divided world to win an election.
Quietly, missing from these visits is a dialog for racial harmony. The Catholic faith teaches that all are equal, and we reaffirm this belief during communion when everyone drinks from the same cup. This three-second feeling of inclusion often only lasts from the pulpit back to our seats.
What has transpired in the Dominican Republic regarding a court ruling that threatens the deportation of over 200,000 people of Haitian descent? This situation is not merely an immigration issue involving illegal immigrants, criminal elements, or overcrowding. It is ethnic cleansing, and one where thick lips and broad noses from the African diaspora are at its core.
Since Haiti’s independence in 1804, Haiti’s invasion of the Spanish rule in trying to unify and end slavery has not created harmony. Even when Blacks were part of major economic development from Costa Rica to Panama, scholars have noted that they discriminated against West Indian migrants because they were Black, English-speaking, and Protestant.
Haitians being deported from Dominica
The system treated them much like historians documented poorly, where they were paid less and oppressed and had little protection under the law.
The other hidden passages:
Dr. Henry Hates noted, between 1502 and 1866, 11.2 million Africans survived the dreadful Middle Passage and landed as slaves in the New World. For those vessels of slaves, many are still trying to find an anchor, much less an altar to ease some of the socioeconomic, and division burden.
Though this trip cannot fix it all, we cannot ignore the polarization and marginalization of many. Not too far from Dominican coastlines, blacks in Cuba [peizas negras] — black spices once called and — despite the abolition of slavery in 1820, which Cuba benefited from until 1873 according to historians.
Afro-Cubans and others throughout Latin America are often relegated to the service economy, where they are part of the vast fruit and vegetable street vendors, street dancers, artists, medicine women, and other things..
Afro-Cubans; Photo Credit: DeWayne Wickham
The recent effort by the Obama Administration to normalize US-Cuba relations has been a sensitive issue for over 50 years, shaped by political ideology and various atrocities. Many hope that this new initiative will enable both Black and white Cubans to access potential socioeconomic benefits.
The influence and contributions of Afro-Caribbean culture have been significant to the region’s development, though they are often overlooked.
Unfortunately, despite these diplomatic advances, many Black and brown individuals continue to be marginalized, relegated to slum areas, much as they were historically confined to sugar plantations due to the documented transatlantic slave trade, not only in Cuba but also in other countries like Costa Rica and Venezuela.
Historians trace these issues back to the 16th century, highlighting the experiences of Black individuals, particularly [La Negrita], in Latin American countries where they often identify as white.
In Lima, Peru, there is a tradition where pallbearers are predominantly Black and native individuals. Some argue that this practice serves merely as a form of employment, while others consider it racist, asserting that these job opportunities are reserved exclusively for Black individuals.
For many Black individuals, the concern does not stem from their well-tailored tuxedos or the elaborate pageantry associated with providing a dignified funeral; rather, it is fundamentally about the color of their skin.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Experts have observed that since the abolition of slavery in 1854, “Blacks are all but absent from Peru’s business and political elite,” which relegates them to working on sugar cane plantations along the nation’s Pacific coast. Less than four percent of Black Peruvians attend college.
Some individuals exploit Black people and other minorities when they migrate to countries like the U.S., Canada, or the UK, leveraging their privileged class status and prestige. Others take on jobs that even Black individuals refuse to do. This behavior does not indicate any difference among groups; rather, it reinforces the ongoing cycle of social stratification and marginalization.
Time for a new scripture
Many of us are still looking for our grandparents who fled to other regions in the Caribbean, such as Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti, Bermuda, Antigua, Barbados, and other places several decades ago, not because of a revolution or political turmoil, but because of the color of one’s skin.
I hope the next confession will bring some changes to this group of Catholics because I believe that the church has a tremendous influence on these issues. Your refocus mission extends beyond Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, and other stops.
Addressing poverty and the environment is always important. However, concerning the plight of many Blacks, they cannot only be celebrated on football, baseball, and other professional sports fields, and the community that produced these rare stars continues to deteriorate because of their lips and color.
At present, the area is facing issues with corruption, poverty, and crime, leading to numerous impoverished people leaving, which is putting social and economic stability at risk. Yet, many Black people still face exploitation and marginalization. Just consider how much worse it is for many of us because of our large noses and thick lips.
Racial homogeneity has created political stability, a high rate of literacy, and overall economic growth in some of these Latin countries and other places. After singing these hymns, religious leaders should use this moment to continue mobilizing socioeconomic and justice issues, emphasizing that many believers are defined by more than just their appearance or skin color.
People should be invited to communion based on their contributions to the community, their shared humanity, and their quest for something new that fosters a peaceful and successful union for all. Then perhaps many of us will once again say, “See you this Sunday at early morning mass.” “