A (very) brief history of the Catholic Church and race relations in America

As I’m in Prof. Pasquier’s American Catholicism class I decided I’d mix the two classes and take a look at the Catholic Church in America and its history with race. As Louisiana was once a slave holding state and has historically had a large Catholic population this history is, I feel, particularly relevant to this class.

Code Noir

Before it was part of America, Louisiana was part of France, then Spain, then France again. From 1974 until 1803 (with some changes along the way), the relations between slaves and colonists were regulated by the ‘Code Noir.’ The Code Noir stated that masters must ‘impart religious instruction’ to their slaves and that this religious instruction must be Catholic. Only Catholics were allowed to hold slaves, and Sundays and religious holidays were to be strictly observed otherwise they would have their slaves confiscated.

In Supremo Apostolatus

In 1839, Pope Gregory XVI issued In Supremo Apostolatus, denouncing the slave trade and the institution of slavery. American Bishops, however, disagreed over its meaning. Some argued that it denounced the slave trade but allowed slavery to continue if the slaves had be obtained justly (through the domestic slave trade), others believed it to denounce both. In Supremo Apostolatus stated that

"all believers in Christ, of whatsoever condition, that no one hereafter may dare unjustly to molest Indians, Blacks, or other men of this sort;...or to reduce them to slavery..."

Two slave holding states, Maryland and Louisiana, had large Catholic populations. It was the bishops in these states that interpreted In Supremo Apostolatus as allowing slavery in America. John England, bishop of Charleston, went as far as writing to the Secretary of State, explaining how he and the other southern bishops interpreted the papal bull.

Reconstruction

From around the mid 1800s to the early 1900s many Catholics from throughout Europe immigrated to the US. The Catholic population’s demographics changed rapidly- those immigrating to America were often from much poorer and less educated backgrounds than those previously living in America and anti-Catholicism reached a new high. Many viewed Catholics the same way they viewed African-Americans- as inferiors.

Civil Rights

By the 1960s, Catholics began to become more involved in issues of social justice, including crusades in support of civil rights. Encouraged by the changes being made to the Catholic Church through the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), the relationship between Catholics and modern society changed. Whilst many criticise Kennedy for doing too little for civil rights, he was the most pro-civil rights President America had had at that point, laying the foundations for what would become the 1964 Civil Rights Act- and he was Catholic.

The relationship between the Catholic Church and race is obviously more complex that the one presented here, but it shows how much the Church’s attitudes changed- from supporting slavery to being treated as inferior citizens themselves to fighting for Civil Rights.