Top photo caption: A woman casts her ballot at a polling station in Detroit as Democrats and Republicans held their Michigan presidential primary Feb. 27, 2024. OSV News photo/Dieu-Nalio Chery, Reuters
Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of Austin is the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation.
By Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, OSV News
As a shepherd of the Church, I believe I am called to shed the light of the Gospel upon the issues of our day. As the Church, we bring our unrelenting belief in the sanctity of the human person to the forefront of each challenge that faces our society.
When, as a society, we better enable the participation of people in shared civic and social endeavors, we affirm their participation as an expression of their God-given dignity. In light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v. Callais, many Black Americans and other communities of color are deeply concerned about what this moment may mean for the protection of their voices, the fairness of representation and their full participation in our democratic process. These concerns are serious, and they deserve to be heard with respect, moral clarity and pastoral solidarity. I wish to offer a word of hope and the solidarity of the Church in this moment.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has long affirmed the importance of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965. Widely regarded as one of the most consequential legislative achievements of the Civil Rights Movement, the VRA was a concrete response to generations of injustice that denied Black Americans — especially in the South — full participation in our democracy.
Poll taxes, literacy tests, intimidation and violence were deliberately designed to suppress Black participation even after the passage of the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which since 1870 has prohibited the federal government and states from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race or color. These injustices were deeply embedded in the political structures of their time, prompting the need for strong federal protections. The bishops of that era saw in the Voting Rights Act a safeguard aligned with our Catholic values of participation rooted in inherent dignity.
The U.S. bishops have consistently encouraged Catholic citizens to engage in the political process, including through voting. Yet for Black Americans, participation in political life has never been freely given; it has been persistently contested and often resisted. Recognizing this history is essential to understanding why moments of uncertainty surrounding voting and representation carry such weight for communities that have borne the cost of exclusion.
Pope Leo XIV has reminded us that “democracy remains healthy only when rooted in moral truth and a true vision of the human person.” When that foundation is neglected, democracy risks becoming a tool of domination rather than a means of justice. The Church, therefore, continues to advocate for laws and policies in the United States that foster broad participation and reflect a true vision of the human person. This teaching is not abstract. It is rooted in the Gospel and lived out in history, particularly through the long and painful struggle to ensure that all voices are heard and respected.
Our commitment to justice must therefore be steady and courageous. As Bishop Perry has written, Catholic solidarity requires us to uphold the sacred dignity of every person and to speak boldly whenever justice is at stake — especially when the rights of historically marginalized communities are placed at risk. Solidarity is not passive; it calls us to attentiveness, accompaniment and moral resolve.
The struggle for voting rights and full participation has come at an immense cost. It has demanded sacrifice, perseverance and faith. To remember that history is not merely to honor the past; it is to recommit ourselves to the work that remains.
Your voice is valuable, rooted in your inherent dignity, and it continues to matter regardless of changes in law or policy. May the Lord continue to guide us in this sacred work. May his love for the poor and marginalized flow through us, so that we may do justice, love goodness and walk humbly with our God.
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