the Church is not the building. the Church is the people of God.

things that are more sacred than stones:

--the righteous anger of the disenfranchised
--human lives
--people coming together to protect Black citizens from the violence of the state https://twitter.com/JamesAGagliano/status/1266889713501310976

if you're tweeting pictures of vandalized churches for shock value, but you aren't even PRETENDING to interrogate whether white Christianity's failure to meaningfully stand with the #BlackLivesMatter movement might be part of the reason why this is happening, then sit down.

Jesus was literally murdered by state-sponsored violence ordered by the imperialist government of Rome because he was an anti-establishment agitator have you even read your own book He would ABSOLUTELY be out there marching right now

also the Civil Rights Movement was literally born in Black churches so it's gross as hell to be tweeting stuff like this as though white Christianity is under attack by Black people when the history of this whole country is the other way around oh my god i'm so mad about this

American Catholicism has an unexamined racism problem and if you've ever talked to a Black Catholic about how fucking HEARTBREAKING it is to watch their own church refuse to take up BLM or gun violence as a "life issue" you would not be putting the word PROTESTERS in QUOTES

and like, I've BEEN to Mass at Saint Patrick's! It's a beautiful building! I love historic churches! When you grow up as a Willett, the two mandatory stops on every family vacation are historic churches and maritime museums! but the dog-whistling in this tweet is so upsetting

because the subtext of this image, in the context where it's being used, is this:

"there is no valid reason why anybody would direct their anger toward a Catholic church, therefore this is senseless violence done by people of whom you should be afraid."

I'm proud to be Catholic. I love my faith. I love my community. It has defined so much of who I am.

and when I encounter people who view my church with hate or resentment or fear, I have to OWN THAT. I have to listen to what that person is saying.

because usually, when a person directs their anger at the Catholic Church, it's because the Catholic Church - as an institution, or individuals within it - have failed in our jobs to be Christ to others.

their anger is because we have fucked up.

so if someone has been wounded by the church, or treated like a second class citizen by the church, or they looked around during a time of need and the church was nowhere to be found, THE ONE AT FAULT ISN'T THE PERSON WHO IS HURTING AND ANGRY. IT'S YOU. IT'S ME. IT'S US.