Olga Segura’s book charts her personal journey of resisting systemic racism and her pain at finding herself unaccompanied on that path by many Catholics or by the institutional church.

The Most Rev. Edward K. Braxton, one of the few African American bishops in the Roman Catholic Church, rarely talks to the press. He recently agreed to visit at length with the Post-Dispatch. The topic was his new book, “The Church and the Racial Divide.”

As the election, the pandemic and racism made headlines across the U.S. last year, priests’ homilies did not mention these events nearly as much as did sermons by Protestant preachers.

Not every conclusion that comes out of critical race theory is compatible with Catholicism. But how could it be the case that Catholics would not want to engage with an intellectual tool that helps deepen understanding?

Forgiveness and healing can begin only after the most difficult part is addressed: confronting the past, speaking the truth, revealing the worst.

It is important to engage in conversations about complex and even controversial subjects using our faith and intellect.