U.S. bishops’ conference creates a permanent subcommittee to address racism

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 12, 2025 /
16:34 pm

The Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism established in 2017 by former United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) President Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston has officially been made a permanent body within the USCCB, according to a Sept. 10 press release. 

The newly created, permanent Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation “continues the important work of the temporary ad hoc committee,” said USCCB President Archbishop Timothy Broglio. 

“As we call for a genuine conversion of heart that will compel change at both individual and institutional levels,” he continued, “I invite all Catholics to join us as we carry forward this work to recognize and uphold the inherent dignity of every person made in the image and likeness of God.”

The Administrative Committee of the USCCB approved the transition on Sept. 9, according to the press release, noting that the new subcommittee falls “under the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.” 

The Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development “seeks to teach about and to witness to the intrinsic dignity of the human person as an antidote to the grave sin of racism” and “explores and implements concrete solutions to address the racism that still pervades our society and our Church today, and works in collaborative ways to strengthen the response of all people to this evil.”

The move to cement the ad hoc committee comes as part of the bishops’ “ongoing commitment to addressing the sin of racism,” the release noted. 

The committee’s chair, Bishop Joseph Perry, also weighed in, stating: “I speak on behalf of the bishop members, staff, and consultants of the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism in expressing gratitude for the transition of our committee to a standing subcommittee so that the important work of evangelization of the faithful and the community at large may continue in the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” 

The committee will officially begin work after this year’s November plenary assembly.