McCann’s message

It is not a startling revelation that we are all prejudiced, biased, and have blind spots. We are born to love and be loved.

As a social service coordinator I was proud to have worked in Catholic

Charities Subsidized Apartments for 25 years, and Director of a United Way Agency that provided social-recreational activity for adults with disabilities.

In his heartfelt reflection on society’s systematic failure to achieve racial equality Rob McCann, Director of Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington, offered each of us an opportunity to examine our attitudes and behavior to others.

Rather than support his courage for speaking out, Bishop Daly took exception to his views, “called him on the carpet” for making “false accusations” against the Catholic Church. While mentioning a few areas in which the Church has fallen short in fulfilling the Gospel Imperative to love our neighbor, Mr. McCann could have also alluded to the church’s other shortcomings: all-male management structure, top-down authority, disregard for the value of women religious, failure to excite the youth of today.

Critical evaluation is not personal criticism.

On every level we cannot operate ofrom norms of the past. Medieval trappings do not speak to our ever-changing times. This is Spokane in 2020. Not San Francisco in 1954.

To effect lasting change and growth we must accept our missteps…do not deny them. Heed the Prophets who is speaking in the desert…do not try to silence them.

Spike Cunningham

Spokane