Black Catholics Call for Stronger Voice in Church Hierarchy, Bishop Says

7:12 PM ETDeveloping

Faith Desk

In Short: Bishop Robert Paul Boxie, the youngest U.S. bishop, advocates for greater representation of Black Catholics in the Church's leadership.

Black Catholics need a stronger voice in the Catholic Church, according to Bishop Robert Paul Boxie, the youngest U.S. bishop. Boxie, who was appointed in 2023, argues that the hierarchy has not always been attentive to the concerns of Black Catholics and the broader Black community. He emphasizes the need for African American bishops to advocate for the Black Catholic community within the Church structure.

In an interview, Bishop Boxie dismissed the term 'DEI bishop,' suggesting that his appointment was not driven by diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. He noted that while there are many good bishops in the United States, only five of 268 active U.S. bishops are Black, and only two are African American. Boxie believes that the Church should have more Black bishops to better represent the community.

Black Americans make up more than 15% of the U.S. population, and 5% of Catholics identify as Black. However, the lack of Black bishops is a significant issue. Boxie stated, 'We need the voice of African American bishops, men in the hierarchy, in the Church structure, to be more of an advocate for the Black Catholic community.' He also highlighted the need for the Church to be more attentive to the concerns of Black Catholics and the broader Black community.

What's confirmed

(ROME) CNS — If Bishop Robert Paul Boxie was selected to become a bishop just because he is Black, he said he is comfortable with that.
One of the newest bishops Pope Leo XIV appointed in the U.S. said racism remains an undercurrent in the Catholic Church, recounting his own encounters with it in the seminary and calling for greater Black representation in the hierarchy, parish life and the Church’s understanding of holiness.
Bishop Boxie, who was named auxiliary bishop of Washington, said some critics have labeled him a “DEI bishop,” a phrase he dismissed as a “dog whistle” suggesting that a Black person was elevated as part of a diversity, equity and inclusion program at the expense of someone more qualified.
But while there are many good bishops in the United States, Bishop Boxie said he does not believe the hierarchy has always been sufficiently attentive to the concerns of Black Catholics and the broader Black community.
Black Americans make up more than 15% of the U.S. population, according to the Census Bureau, and Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate determined that 5% of Catholics identify as Black.
Yet, only five of 268 active U.S. bishops are Black, only two of whom are African American, according to data from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“We need the voice of African American bishops, men in the hierarchy, in the Church structure, to be more of an advocate for the Black Catholic community,” Bishop Boxie said in the Sept. 7 interview.
Before his ordination in July, Bishop Boxie said a decade had passed since an African American bishop had been ordained in the country.

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Sources

Catholic Reviewlink