Catholic Religious Organizations Studying Slavery recently held its inaugural conference.
“If we do not tell our own story, then someone else or some entity will almost certainly provide a biased rendition, which may not be guided by the virtue of truth and faith, as ours hopefully will be,” said Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville. “Accordingly, my dear friends, it is far better that we share our own stories — no matter how painful, no matter how sinful.”
The conference was held in St. Louis, whose first two bishops owned slaves. The Archdiocese of St. Louis “has largely led the way in making documents related to Catholic slavery available to the public,” according to the report.