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Bishop Boxie Addresses Racism and Representation in the Catholic Church
Bishop Robert Paul Boxie, newly appointed auxiliary bishop of Washington and the youngest Catholic bishop in the U.S., is calling for stronger Black representation and open dialogue on systemic racism within the Catholic Church.
In a recent interview with Catholic News Service, the Louisiana native addressed the severe underrepresentation of Black leadership in the U.S. hierarchy, where only five of 268 active bishops are Black. Bishop Boxie directly attributed this scarcity to racism, noting that a decade had passed without an African American bishop being ordained before his own appointment. Dismissing critiques labeling him a "DEI bishop" as a political dog whistle, he emphasized that his academic credentials from Harvard Law School and Vanderbilt, alongside his legal background, speak to his qualifications.
Key Themes & Historical Context
Institutional History: The U.S. Church has deep historical ties to racial discrimination, including the 1838 sale of 272 enslaved people by Jesuits to finance Georgetown University, as well as accounts of racism within seminaries that pushed figures like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas away from the priesthood.
Personal Encounters: Bishop Boxie shared his own experiences with subtle and overt racism during formation, including confronting a fellow seminarian who displayed a Confederate flag. Years later, that former student reached out to apologize, sparking a constructive dialogue on healing and bridge-building.
Papal Acknowledgment: Bishop Boxie welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which included a historic apology for the Church's historical involvement in slavery—a gesture Boxie described as a vital step toward leveling the playing field for ongoing reform.
Promoting Inclusion: To foster a broader understanding of holiness, Bishop Boxie urges all U.S. parishes to prominently display images of Black Catholics currently being considered for canonization.
Moving forward, Bishop Boxie advocates for constructive dialogue over confrontation, encouraging white and Black Catholics alike to engage with Catholic social teaching, recognize the unique contributions of Black believers, and confront historical injustices together.
CNS reported that in 2020, EWTN canceled its radio show "Morning Glory" months after co-host Gloria Purvis began speaking extensively about police brutality and systemic racism following Floyd's death and the protests that followed. Purvis, who is Black, told CNS after the cancellation that Catholics should be turning to their faith when confronting such questions. "We all are members of the human family. We all have a certain dignity," she said in January 2021. "When you see such brutalization of a human person and the murder of a human person … it should bring questions to us. We should be turning to our faith for answers rather than just letting political talk frame the conversation." She said she was surprised to hear Catholics dismiss concern about Floyd's death after learning details about his life. "That is not who we are as believers," Purvis said. Purvis told CNS in May 2021 that she had no regrets talking about race during her EWTN tenure, which was largely suspected to be the reason for her show's cancellation. Purvis, is now a special advisor for Integral Human Development and Dignity at Providence College.
Statistics: Polling over the last several years has found a pronounced divide between white Catholics and other Americans in how they understand racial inequality.In a 2018 Public Religion Research Institute survey, 53% of Americans said police killings of Black men were part of a broader pattern in how law enforcement treats Black Americans. Among white Catholics, just 37% held that view.
A similar divide appeared in a 2022 PRRI survey about the lasting effects of slavery and racial discrimination. Just 35% of white Catholics agreed that those historical injustices continue to make it harder for Black Americans to achieve economic mobility. By comparison, 66% of religiously unaffiliated Americans, 68% of Americans belonging to non-Christian religions and 77% of Black Protestants agreed.
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