Repeated Catholic episcopal statements against racism over thirty years changed little.

Evidence

The US Catholic bishops followed up their initial 1958 statement a decade later with a 1968 statement titled “The National Race Crisis,” which noted, “Now—ten years later—it is evident that we did not do enough; we have much more to do.… It became clear that we failed to change the attitudes of many believers.” Yet another decade later, in 1979, the bishops issued a statement titled “Brothers and Sisters to Us,” which declared, “Racism is an evil that endures in our society and in our church. Despite apparent advances and even significant changes in the last two decades, the reality of racism remains.” The statement went on to conclude that “too often what has happened has been only a covering over, not a fundamental change.” — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 204

Categorization

• XREF: The rhetorical-declaration-fails-to-change-hearts pattern resembles how institutional missives on other moral matters (penal reform, in the Frankfurt School reading) collapse without structural change. — connects to: Catholic bishops’ anti-racism statements failed to reach ordinary parishioners in any sermon — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 206; The Catholic bishops’ 1979 anti-racism pastoral made almost no impact. — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 205; Each era of racial progress was limited by asserting white supremacy anew — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black: How Race Still…, 80

Broader Connections

• The Catholic bishops’ 1979 anti-racism pastoral made almost no impact. #exemplifies (0.95) — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 205
• Catholic bishops’ anti-racism statements failed to reach ordinary parishioners in any sermon #expands (0.85) — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 206
• Each era of racial progress was limited by asserting white supremacy anew #expands (0.75) — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black, 80