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Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory speaks at ‘Open Wide Our Hearts’ conference and Mass

Leslie Miller | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory answer questions during a diocesan conference March 20 on confronting the sin of racism. SCREENGRAB .

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Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory gives the homily at a diocesan conference and Mass on confronting the sin of racism March 20 at Church of the Nativity in Burke. SCREENGRAB

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Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory gives the keynote address at a diocesan conference March 20 on confronting the sin of racism. SCREENGRAB

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Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory (right) celebrates Mass at the diocesan conference March 20 on confronting the sin of racism. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge (center) concelebrates. LESLIE MILLER | CATHOLIC HERALD

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Panelists Jose Aguto (left), Emelda August and Alexandra Luevano speak at a diocesan conference on confronting racism March 20 at Church of the Nativity in Burke. SCREENGRAB

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An altar server processes toward the altar at the beginning of the March 20 Mass at Church of the Nativity in Burke, that preceded the diocesan racial justice conference. ANDREW BIRAJ | CATHOLIC STANDARD

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A man prays at a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory March 20 at Church of the Nativity in Burke, that preceded the cardinal’s keynote address at a conference on racial justice. ANDREW BIRAJ | CATHOLIC STANDARD

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Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory speaks at the March 20 conference on racial justice at Church of the Nativity in Burke. ANDREW BIRAJ | CATHOLIC STANDARD

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Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, speaks at a diocesan conference on confronting the sin of racism March 20 at Church of the Nativity in Burke. At left is Arlington Bishop Michael F. Burbidge. The conference was sponsored by the diocesan Peace and Justice Commission. ANDREW BIRAJ | CATHOLIC STANDARD

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God created diversity — and the healing of our nation’s racial
divisions “will depend upon our ability to recognize diversity as a positive
reality,” said Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory at a diocesan conference
March 20 on confronting the sin of racism.

While some people suggest we should be a “colorless” society, “it
is good that we are not all the same,” said Cardinal Gregory, a Chicago native
who converted to Catholicism as a child while attending a Catholic elementary
school. He was archbishop of Atlanta before being named archbishop of
Washington in 2019 and became the nation’s first African-American cardinal last
year.

“It is part of the great mystery first revealed in the Book of
Genesis, where the ever-creative God fashions a whole universe with splendid variety
and repeatedly pauses in the midst of his creative accomplishments to make an
obviously self-satisfied reflection that ‘it was very good!’

“Part of the message of our Judeo-Christian religious heritage is
that God’s elegant wonder is best experienced in the diversity of his
creation,” Cardinal Gregory said. “Our national unity is not predicated on all
of us being exactly alike so much as it is on sharing common goals, a national
purpose and an acceptance of our differences as an advantage rather than a
liability.”

The conference, held at the Church of the Nativity in Burke, was
sponsored by the diocesan Peace and Justice Commission and was titled “Open
Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love.” The name comes from the title of
the pastoral letter against racism issued by the U.S. Catholic bishops in 2018.
The conference, part of an ongoing effort to address racism, was scheduled for
last year but postponed because of the pandemic. In-person attendance was about
100 people with social distancing; more than 900 viewers tuned in to the
livestream. 

The event began with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Gregory and
concelebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and Father Robert C. Cilinski,
Nativity’s pastor. Father Cilinski is chairman of the Peace and Justice
Commission and the Bishop’s liaison on the diocesan Advisory Council on Racism
that Bishop Burbidge created last October. 

Cardinal Gregory said he may be “preaching to the choir” when he
accepts “invitations like this one to speak to people who are so obviously
already convinced of the importance and value of racial healing.” But he said
“the task of peacebuilding here and in too many other communities is yet to be
achieved — and even the choir needs a good rehearsal or a practice now and
then. Racial healing is an aspiration that will only be possible because of the
ceaseless attention of all people of good will who believe in the value and
significance of living harmoniously in a multiracial, multicultural society.”

Cardinal Gregory titled his address “Seeing with the Eyes of
Christ,” and said the Catholic Church “has the responsibility to call all of
our people to see with the eyes of Christ. We are obliged to challenge our
society and any institution within society that supports, defends, or promotes racism
or intercultural hostility. An important component of our Christian identity is
our ability to be peacemakers.”

He said our nation “professes some of the most noble and civilized ideals of human equality ever recorded in history… but we are still becoming a nation that actually lives what it preaches. Within the past few days, we have been faced with the hatred and violence that Asian-Americans have endured with increased intensity since the beginning of the global pandemic, and now the horrific killing of Asian women in the Atlanta community reminds us that we still have serious racial problems that continue to plague our national harmony and unity.”

He spoke about the sacrament of reconciliation and said “we need
a comparable regional and national reconciliation — a healing of America’s soul
from the torment of oppression and hatred. 

“Sad to say, we do not really know how to speak to one another.
We are still clumsy in introducing issues of race into our conversations. We
may also be quick to take offense. Our awkwardness and our easily offended
feelings are merely the veneer over generations of mistrust of, ignorance of,
and fear of one another.

“We need to forgive one another for all of those things that
belong to the past so that we can move into a better, more hopeful tomorrow,”
he said.

During the question and answer session after his address,
Cardinal Gregory noted that while progress against racism has been made in
recent years, “the work isn’t over.” 

Bishop Burbidge pointed out the importance of continuing to
listen to one another. “One of the most powerful experiences in my time here
has been the listening sessions that we had,” when parishioners from the
diocese shared their experiences of racism. “Not only was it very real for
people not that long ago, but sadly, even so today, even within our own schools
and churches. While that is so difficult to hear and makes us all sad, it
motivates us to stand up and be proactive in seeking that justice.”

Cardinal Gregory said he sees the younger generation as a sign of
hope. “I take great comfort when young people increasingly have been willing to
take public and often controversial stands to ensure that our tomorrows will be
better than our yesterdays. We must demand only the best from ourselves, and
you look for others who will follow to improve upon your progress.”

Three diocesan parishioners participating in a panel discussion
were Emelda August of Holy Family Church in Dale City who works with her
parish’s Black History and Heritage Outreach Ministry; Alexandra Luevano,
program director of the Catholic Charities Mother of Mercy free medical
clinics; and José Aguto, associate director of the Catholic Climate Covenant. 

Find out more

View the recording of the conference livestream at youtu.be/0s8tvSWkcu4

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