2018 Recommitment to 2016 Assembly Resolution

In 2016 the Leadership Conference of Women Religious committed to the work of recognizing racism as a systemic, structural cause underlying and contributing to the multiple situations of injustice identified in the LCWR Call. The Global Concerns Committee (GCC) has heard a desire from the membership to go deeper into this critical work. We recommend that we adopt the following statement recommitting ourselves to the 2016 Assembly Resolution.

2018 Statement of Recommitment 

In the presence of constant and painful reminders of the deep roots of racism in our country, we the Leadership Conference of Women Religious reaffirm the 2016 Assembly Resolution and pledge to go deeper into the critical work of creating communion, examining the root causes of injustice and our own complicity, and purging ourselves, our communities, and our country of the sin of racism and its destructive effects.

Rationale

LCWR has a long history of contemplative listening to the signs of the times, compassionate response to the thirst of the world for integrity and communion, and action for justice. This 2018 statement recommits the membership to going deeper into the critical work of the 2016 Assembly Resolution:

Grounded in our belief that action on behalf of justice is a constitutive element of the Gospel, we, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, affirm the interrelatedness of the justice concerns addressed by our recent assembly resolutions. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, we commit ourselves to examine the root causes of injustice, particularly racism, and our own complicity as congregations, and to work to effect systemic change as we struggle to establish economic justice, abolish modern-day slavery, ensure immigrant rights, promote nonviolence, and protect Earth and its biosphere. We pledge prayer, education, and advocacy and commit to using our collective voice, resources, and power in collaboration with others to establish justice which reflects God’s abundant love and desire that all may have life.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

  1. LCWR and its members are encouraged to address the root causes of injustice as well as their own complicity by examining the consequences of white privilege and unconscious bias, sharing this  statement and the 2016 Assembly Resolution with their ministries, and reviewing policies and practices, including human resources and employee compensation, for bias and structural injustice.

  2. Congregations are encouraged to use the contemplative process and social analysis to gain a deeper understanding of the interrelated systemic causes of injustice and to urge their social justice promotors to coordinate communication, share resources, and act in collaboration with other justice groups. 

  3. Regions are encouraged to continue the work of responding strategically to an identified issue of local, regional, national, or global concern and to examine its effects and explore its underlying causes, particularly racism.

For the years 2015-2019 the Global Concerns Committee will continue to provide resources to facilitate the implementation of this resolution.