Welcome to Thursday. An NCR commentator hopes the church will welcome the real Jesus by integrating the images, liturgical practices and homilies of faith communities of color. The war-torn region of Tigray in Ethiopia has been cut off from humanitarian agencies, leaving many vulnerable refugees without aid.
Growing up as an Indian American from an Eastern Catholic rite attending Roman Catholic Masses in English, NCR commentator Matt Kappadakunnel mainly encountered white images of Jesus and Mary.
"I have lived my life in a Catholic Church where I have felt and often feel alone," he writes. "My family was often the only Indian family in the parish, or one of few in the congregation."
This year, with the cry of racial injustice becoming louder and clearer, many called for tearing down any and all white images of Jesus. For many Catholics of color, worship spaces that have only white images to portray their faith contribute to the white supremacist undercurrents in the American church.
"Images of white Jesus promote a false idol, one that leads us further and further away from the Gospel," write Kappadakunnel. "The white Jesus results in believers who are apathetic or antipathetic to Black people and persons of color."
You can read more of his commentary here.
More background:
- In an NCR editorial, we recognize that symbols matter. The versions of Jesus that white Catholics see in their parishes will surely influence how they look at their non-white neighbors and whether white Catholics will oppose sinful structures of racism.
With communication and access to Ethiopia's crisis-ravaged Tigray region cut off, Catholic relief and other humanitarian agencies are having difficulty responding to those in need there and in refugee camps in neighboring Sudan — among them pregnant women, vulnerable groups and newly born babies.
Thousands of Ethiopians have fled Tigray, Ethiopia's northernmost region on the border with Eritrea, as national government forces have sought to reassert federal control over the area. Many are arriving in western neighbor Sudan without even the most basic necessities, say aid agency officials.
The bigger impact has been on fleeing women, who also face heightened risk of sexual violence and abuse as they journey. It has been worse for those pregnant or those who have just given birth.
The United Nations Population Fund estimated in late November that more than 700 of some 7,500 women refugees arriving in Sudan from Tigray were pregnant.
You can read more of the story here.
More headlines
- Benedictine Sr. Joan Chittister says the spiritual wisdom of the Desert Monastics can help us answer two important questions in 2021: Just exactly which of the world's factions do I want to be like? And why do I want to be like that?
- In 2020, as tens of thousands of people nationwide protested racial injustices, Catholics similarly took to the streets and also joined in prayer services and discussions.
- Like everyone else, Pope Francis' year was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns, livestreamed Masses, video messages and even something akin to Zoom meetings became a regular part of his life.
Final thoughts
Before we say farewell to 2020, Global Sisters Report would like you to take a look back at their 10 most noteworthy stories of the year. You can also read a round-up of a year of great columns posted on GSR and the most read stories. Sign up to get regular news emails from Global Sisters Report in your inbox here.
Until Monday,
Stephanie Yeagle
NCR Production/Online Editor
[email protected]
Twitter: @ncrSLY
