Letter to Archbishop Hartmayer
April 27, 2021
His Excellency
The Most Reverend Gregory John Hartmayer
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
2401 Lake Park Dr. SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
Re: Black Catholic Clergy of Atlanta Supports Archbishop’s Statements on Racism
Your Excellency,
We, the Black Catholic Clergy of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, wish to express our gratitude and support for your recent statements on the evils of racism. In these turbulent times it is
important for the religious community to speak up on all social justice issues. In your
statement, you reminded us of the US Bishops pastoral letter, “Open wide our hearts: The
Enduring Call to Love,” which stated that ‘Racist acts are sinful because they violate justice.
They reveal a failure to acknowledge the human dignity of the persons offended, to
recognize them as the neighbors Christ calls us to love (Mt 22:39).’ The sin of racism is not an expression of love and we cannot truly love God and allow racism to continue to thrive and
separate us as sisters and brothers united in Christ. Your heart felt apology for the
acknowledged racist past of the Chancery, the parishes, and the schools of the archdiocese, is a compassionate step toward healing.
We also are encouraged by your statement on the Chauvin conviction. You acknowledge that this is not the end but the beginning of the process of healing and restoration of our system of justice and that as an archdiocese we will “work for a world where incidents of racial injustice no longer occur, where broken systems of oppression and inequality are repaired.”
As our shepherd, we commend you for your commitment as the spiritual leader of this
archdiocese, to personally model the change that must take place, and ensure that the work to eradicate the sin of racism at all levels in this local church is visible and ongoing.
Archbishop Hartmeyer, we look forward to working with you in the ministry of social justice to address all of life issues, including the death penalty, abortion, immigration, poverty, etc. We support and commit to your pledge to “do what is good, and what the Lord requires of you:
only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with God.” (Mi.6:8).
Respectfully yours,
The Black Catholic Clergy of Atlanta
Servants in Christ
PO Box 370587, Decatur, GA 30037