Atlanta Daily World

Catholicism And The Negro

The Catholic Church is making a serious and concerted effort to win Negro Americans to that faith. For more than three quarters of a century now, the Popes in Rome have cajoled and commanded the American hierarchy to devote its energies to the conversion of American Negroes.

A part of that time, about 60 years, in fact, the church was compelled to concentrate its strength upon holding the millions of Catholic immigrants to this country. But with that phase completed, work among Negroes seems ready to begin in deep earnestness.

The last federal census of religious bodies showed that this church stands first in 38 out of 50 of the nation's largest cities. There appears to be no agreement as to the exact number of Negroes subscribing to the Catholic faith.

Unofficial estimates place the number at around 300,000 more or less. But that figure is commanding, with many Negroes going into the faith daily.

The explanation behind this rapid influx of Negroes to Catholicism lies in the fact that the church has been especially effective in clarifying the minds of Catholic sociologists on the race issue. In turn, these sociologists have greatly influenced the large army of Catholic workers in social welfare organizations, both secular and public.

And finally, it should be mentioned that the Catholic Council has done an effective job in softening, if not changing the attitude of the secular Negro Press toward the Roman Catholic. That press is a very forceful influence on Negro life, and in the past 10 or more years it has been persuaded to avoid criticism or serious questioning of Catholic actions and aims, mainly we think, because the Catholics have taken a vigorous stand on the question of social justice and equality for the Negro.

Negroes across the nation look with pride upon the position taken by the Catholic Church in the St. Louis school segregation case in the public schools, where an order was handed down in which Negroes and whites were admitted to the same schools with no trace of discrimination.

Through a Clergy Conference on Negro Welfare the Council is undermining prejudice in the Catholic priesthood. Approximately 72 religious orders of nuns are assigned to cultivation among Negroes; while 2,000 nuns are engaged exclusively in what are termed "colored missions." A large proportion are teachers of Negro children, and practically all are sworn to make Catholics of those to whom they minister in schools, hospitals, and social welfare agencies.