Diocese overreacting

Recently I received a letter from my parish office informing me that the Catholic Diocese of Spokane has withdrawn its support of Catholic Charities in the form of its annual Christmas appeal. According to a letter posted on the diocesan website, this is punishment for the charity director’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Right now our community is reeling from the economic and emotional devastation caused by the pandemic. Catholic Charities directly serves the people in our community who are hit hardest by the pandemic. The actions of the bishop seem callous in this light.

I know that many people object to the Black Lives Matter movement. I also know that criticizing, discrediting, and misrepresenting the organizations that spearhead the struggle for justice are tools used to evade responsibility. We’ve inherited many tools of suppression such as these, and wield them to great harm, often without hardly realizing what we’re doing.

We need all the help we can get if we are going to survive the effects of the pandemic. A new and better-informed commitment to justice for all will only help. The actions of the bishop negatively affect our community in ways that will lead to suffering. The viewpoints of Catholic Charities’ director ruffled some feathers and can lead to illuminating debate. The punishment does not seem to fit the crime.

Eve Bowers

Spokane