Black Catholics need stronger voice in Catholic Church, Bishop Boxie says
(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. "Some people may believe I've been selected, picked, because I'm Black," he said in an interview with Catholic News Service's 'Vatican Access.' "I've thought about this, I’ve reflected on it, and you know what, I'm actually okay 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. He said his education, formation and ministry should speak for themselves. 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 United States 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. Washington Auxiliary Bishop Robert P. Boxie III greets a child during the closing procession of a Mass on July 7, 2026 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where he was ordained as a new auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese. (OSV News photo/Mihoko Owada, Catholic Standard) Before his ordination in July, Bishop Boxie said a decade had passed since an African American bishop had been ordained in the country. "Why are there so few?" he said. "The short answer is racism." Born in 1980, America's youngest bishop was called to the priesthood after graduating from Vanderbilt University and Harvard Law School and working as an attorney in Washington. Even before entering seminary, Bishop Boxie said he carried a strong sense of responsibility as a Black man moving through spaces where few others looked like him. Oftentimes, as an African American in institutions like prestigious schools, "where you are one of one or one of two or very few of you, you do carry that responsibility of making sure that you do a good job," he said. "I carry with me all of my ancestors beforehand who were denied these opportunities." Their sacrifices, the Louisiana native said, made his own opportunities possible and left him with "a duty and a responsibility to continue to give back, to make a way for others." "It is in the background of knowing where I have come from, what I have been given, and also realizing that I have to give back and help make a way for others, just as others have done for me," Bishop Boxie said. The Church has always proclaimed the need to protect and promote the inherent dignity of the human person, the bishop said, but Catholics have not always been faithful to that teaching. "When we have turned away from that, or when we have been unfaithful to that teaching and gone astray, then that's when problems such as this, racism, have arisen," he said. Bishop Boxie also shared with CNS his own experiences of racism, saying rejection and exclusion have "sadly" been part of the Black Catholic experience. He recalled arriving at seminary and discovering that the seminarian in the room next to his had hung a Confederate flag on the wall. Bishop Boxie said he was "totally taken aback" and refused to enter the room while the flag remained there, even though he was "very social" and others frequented his room. He repeatedly spoke with his neighbor in the hallway and challenged him about it, saying to the seminarian and his friends that it was "inappropriate." The seminarian eventually removed the flag and later left the seminary after discerning he no longer wanted to pursue the priesthood. Years later, during the summer of 2020 and the national reckoning that followed the killing of George Floyd, Bishop Boxie received an unexpected Facebook message from the former seminarian. By then, the man was working at a Catholic school with many Black and Hispanic students. He told Bishop Boxie that he had come to understand how wrong it had been to display the Confederate flag, particularly in a seminary. "He wanted to have a conversation, to apologize," the bishop said. "I accepted his apology, and we had a real, honest conversation about race, the Church, and how we can be healers, how we can help bridge these gaps, these disparities, the misunderstanding, all the things that pull us apart, how we can in fact be healers and bridge-builders in the Church." The Catholic Church in the United States has its own history of involvement with slavery and racial discrimination. In 1838, Jesuit leaders sold 272 enslaved men, women and children to raise money for Georgetown University, which was then struggling financially. The sale became the subject of renewed public scrutiny after reporting by The New York Times in 2016. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said the racism he encountered while studying at Conception Seminary College in Missouri contributed to his decision to leave. Thomas has recalled hearing a fellow seminarian respond to the 1968 shooting of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by saying, "Good -- I hope the S.O.B. dies." At an appearance at The Catholic University of America last year, Thomas said that if Catholic leaders at the time had taken a stronger stand against racism, he might have become a priest. More recent disputes over police brutality and systemic racism have also exposed divisions among U.S. Catholics. Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell and a woman religious walk with others toward the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington during a peaceful protest June 8, 2020, following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis whose neck was pinned to the ground by a white police officer for more than eight minutes before he was taken to the hospital. (CNS photo/Bob Roller) In 2020, EWTN canceled its radio show "Morning Glory" months after co-host Gloria Purvis began speaking extensively about police brutality and systemic racism following Floyd's death and the protests that followed. Purvis, who is Black, told CNS after the cancellation that Catholics should be turning to their faith when confronting such questions. "We all are members of the human family. We all have a certain dignity," she said in January 2021. "When you see such brutalization of a human person and the murder of a human person … it should bring questions to us. We should be turning to our faith for answers rather than just letting political talk frame the conversation." She said she was surprised to hear Catholics dismiss concern about Floyd's death after learning details about his life. "That is not who we are as believers," Purvis said. Purvis told CNS in May 2021 that she had no regrets talking about race during her EWTN tenure, which was largely suspected to be the reason for her show's cancellation. In the months and years after Floyd's death, Purvis, who is now a special advisor for Integral Human Development and Dignity at Providence College, told OSV News in May 2025 that priests have preached "ahistorical homilies about lynching, about saying that Black people needed to be grateful to white people that lost their lives during the Civil War." Polling over the last several years has found a pronounced divide between white Catholics and other Americans in how they understand racial inequality. In a 2018 Public Religion Research Institute survey, 53% of Americans said police killings of Black men were part of a broader pattern in how law enforcement treats Black Americans. Among white Catholics, just 37% held that view. A similar divide appeared in a 2022 PRRI survey about the lasting effects of slavery and racial discrimination. Just 35% of white Catholics agreed that those historical injustices continue to make it harder for Black Americans to achieve economic mobility. By comparison, 66% of religiously unaffiliated Americans, 68% of Americans belonging to non-Christian religions and 77% of Black Protestants agreed. Father Robert Boxie III, Catholic chaplain at Howard University in Washington, is seen Nov. 18, 2020. The university is one of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities. (CNS photo/Andrew Biraj, Catholic Standard) Bishop Boxie said he does not know why some racial tensions within the Church have gone unaddressed for so long, but said he looks to the Holy Spirit and expressed gratitude for Pope Leo's apology in his recent encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" for the church’s historical involvement in slavery. "It was really earth-shattering," he said. "This is the first time in what, 18 centuries, 19 centuries, that this acknowledgement has been made." Pope Leo's own heritage depicts the racial tension of American history. He told reporters in July about his familial ties to U.S. slavery when he said his ancestors included both enslaved people and slave owners on his mother's side. Bishop Boxie said Black Catholics themselves can also do more to address what he called "the elephant in the room," including inconsistencies between politics, government, racism and Catholic social teaching. He also wants Catholic churches to more visibly reflect the racial diversity of the communion of saints. "In our churches, we often only see white saints, and I have no problem with that. There's nothing wrong with that," he said. "But that's not the only view or the only image or icon of holiness that we can aspire to." Bishop Boxie said every U.S. parish should display images of Black saints, particularly the seven Black Catholics being considered for canonization, as a reminder that their witness belongs to the entire church and "because these were Americans who were raised and formed in this country," and whose lives were marked by racism, exclusion and discrimination. Their example can encourage Black Catholics "to persevere, to not give up, to stay in the church and to help reform it," while reminding white Catholics that "they're part of our Church. They are us." Conflict and confrontation are not his style, Bishop Boxie said. He is more interested in dialogue and in helping white Catholics recognize that Black Catholics are part of the church, have something distinctive to contribute to its life and worship, and that "you don't have to be afraid of us." Following the pope's apology for the Church's involvement in slavery in his encyclical, Bishop Boxie said Pope Leo has given the Church and the world a moment to "tackle it, to talk about it, to not shy away from it." "He's equaling the playing field for us to take the ball and to move it forward, not only in the Church, but also in our nation, because the terrible things that happened in our country spilled over, unfortunately, into practices in the church as well," he said. "And I think this is really an opportunity for us as Catholics, to lead the way, really for us to lead the way." ___________________________________________________________ To watch the full interview, click the link below: Why So Few Black Catholic Bishops in America? Bishop Robert Boxie is an auxiliary bishop of Washington and the youngest bishop in the United States. A former lawyer educated at Vanderbilt University and Harvard Law School, he brings both professional experience and a deeply rooted Black Catholic...
19 days ago
Bishop Robert P. Boxie III, auxiliary bishop of Washington and the youngest U.S. bishop, says Black Catholics need a stronger voice in the Church’s hierarchy, parish life and public witness. He attributes the small number of Black bishops primarily to racism, while calling for dialogue, greater representation and more visible recognition of Black Catholic holiness. 2 3 5
Boxie said the United States has too few Black Catholic bishops and that African American bishops are needed to advocate for Black Catholics within the Church’s structures. He became the second African American bishop in the United States when he was appointed, after roughly a decade without the ordination of an African American bishop. 3 5
The reports present slightly different figures for the total number of Black bishops. OSV News reported that five of the 268 active U.S. bishops are Black, including two African Americans, while the EWTN and National Catholic Register reports quoted Boxie referring to four active Black bishops, of whom two are African American. 2 3 5
Boxie identified racism as the “short answer” for the scarcity of Black bishops. He said Black men were historically excluded from seminaries and that, even after they were admitted, many experienced discrimination and injustice from dioceses, bishops and religious communities. 3 4 5
Boxie described encountering racism while he was in seminary. A neighboring seminarian displayed a Confederate flag in his room, leading Boxie to refuse to enter while the flag remained there and to challenge the seminarian about its presence. The flag was eventually removed, and the seminarian later left the seminary. 2 3
During the racial reckoning that followed George Floyd’s killing in 2020, the former seminarian contacted Boxie. By then, he was working at a Catholic school serving many Black and Hispanic students and said he had come to understand that displaying the flag in a seminary had been wrong. Boxie accepted his apology, and the two held what Boxie described as an honest conversation about race, the Church and the possibility of becoming “healers” and “bridge-builders.” 2 3 5
Boxie said he values Black Catholicism and Black Catholic spirituality as gifts that have a place in the universal Church. He described Black Catholics as having a distinctive contribution to the Church’s life and worship, while emphasizing that this contribution should be understood as part of the broader Catholic community. 3 4
He also said that the Church’s teaching on the dignity of every human person provides the foundation for addressing racism. In his view, the Church has consistently proclaimed that human beings are made in God’s image and possess an inherent dignity, but Catholics have not always remained faithful to that teaching. 2 3 5
Boxie said some people have described him as a “DEI bishop,” a phrase he characterized as a dog whistle suggesting that a Black person received an appointment at the expense of someone more qualified. He said his education, formation and ministry should be considered in evaluating his suitability for the episcopate. 2
He said he is nevertheless comfortable with the possibility that race was considered in his selection because Black representation is needed in the hierarchy. Boxie argued that diversity, equity and inclusion were originally intended to address institutional disparities in areas such as employment, education, housing and health care, but that the terminology has acquired a negative association. 3 4 5
Boxie said Catholic churches frequently display images of white saints, while Black saints are less visible. He stressed that there is nothing wrong with depicting white saints, but said they should not be the only images of holiness presented to Catholics. 2 3 5
He called for every U.S. parish to display images of the seven Black Catholics from the United States whose causes for canonization are under consideration. He said their lives reflect an authentic American Catholic spirituality and can encourage Black Catholics to remain in the Church and help reform it, while reminding white Catholics that these figures belong to the whole Church. 2 3 5
The OSV report placed Boxie’s comments within the Catholic Church’s history of slavery and racial discrimination in the United States. It cited the 1838 sale of 272 enslaved people by Jesuit leaders to support Georgetown University and recalled Clarence Thomas’ account of racist comments he heard while studying at a Catholic seminary. 2
The report also described more recent tensions among U.S. Catholics over police brutality and systemic racism, including the 2020 cancellation of EWTN’s “Morning Glory” radio program after co-host Gloria Purvis spoke publicly about those issues. Polling cited by OSV showed differences between white Catholics and other Americans in their assessments of racial inequality and the continuing effects of slavery and discrimination. 2
Boxie said he prefers dialogue and confrontation aimed at healing rather than conflict. He expressed appreciation for Pope Leo XIV’s acknowledgment of the Church’s historical involvement in slavery in the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, describing it as an opportunity for Catholics to address racial tensions openly and to help lead efforts for racial healing in both the Church and the nation. 2 3*
Examine the Church’s historical treatment of Black clergy
The Church’s historical treatment of Black clergy was marked by a tension between universal sacramental equality and the racial assumptions, colonial structures, and practical discrimination present in many Catholic societies. The supplied evidence shows genuine efforts to form and promote Black clergy, but also a long period in which Black Catholics were often underserved, segregated, or treated as subordinate.
Catholic teaching formally rejected the idea that Black or African clergy possessed an inferior priesthood. Pope Pius XI insisted that native priests had received “the same priesthood” as missionary priests and belonged to “the selfsame apostolate.” He explicitly condemned treating them as suitable only for humble assignments and called for “no discrimination of any kind” between European missionaries and native priests.
This principle rests on the sacramental character of ordination: a priest does not possess a racially distinct priesthood. The Church’s later language about “native clergy” was principally pastoral and missionary—it referred to clergy drawn from the local population who could evangelize in their own language and culture—not to a lower ecclesial rank.
The evidence supplied does not provide a complete history of Black clergy in antiquity or the Middle Ages. It does, however, indicate that Rome recognized African and Ethiopian Christian communities and supported institutions for them. Pius XII refers to hospices, churches, confraternities, and monasteries established for Ethiopians or Abyssinians in Rome.
This matters because it complicates any claim that Black people were historically viewed by the Church as incapable of Christian leadership. The record includes African Christian communities with their own ecclesial institutions, although the supplied material does not allow a detailed assessment of their clergy’s status or influence.
Catholic sources in the supplied material clearly acknowledge the injustice of enslavement and the slave trade. Pius XII describes Africans as people forcibly taken from their homes and subjected to an “impious commerce.” A Vatican text from 1952 recalls papal opposition to the slave trade and cites Leo XIII’s efforts on behalf of the freedom of enslaved Africans.
Yet pastoral care frequently operated within slave societies. In Louisiana, for example, Catholic authorities sought to evangelize enslaved and formerly enslaved people, but the availability of priests was inadequate. The historical account says that Spanish authorities ordered chaplains for enslaved people on plantations, while also acknowledging that this was often impossible because of the shortage of clergy.
The resulting pattern was deeply ambivalent. Black people were recognized as persons capable of receiving the Gospel and the sacraments, but they were often served through systems controlled by white clergy and white colonial or slaveholding authorities. Evangelization did not automatically produce equality in social life or equal access to ecclesial leadership.
The supplied material also records instances in which white Catholics opposed priests who worked closely with Black people. In Mauritius, white townspeople criticized a priest for living among Black people, showing them human respect, and treating them as brothers. This illustrates the difference between official Christian doctrine and the racial attitudes of many Catholics.
In the United States, the Church increasingly created dedicated structures for Black Catholics: separate parishes, schools, religious communities, and missionary societies. In New Orleans, Jesuits had worked among Indigenous and Black populations from the earliest period, while later the Josephite Fathers and the Sisters of the Holy Family served Black Catholics through churches, schools, orphanages, and other institutions.
These institutions performed important work, but their existence also reflected segregation. Black Catholics were often not fully integrated into ordinary parish life. The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia reports approximately sixty churches or parishes for Black Catholics in the United States, alongside many Black Catholics living within predominantly white parishes. It also describes the shortage of priests and notes that some Catholics had lost access to the faith because they lacked pastoral care.
The most revealing statistic is that, around 1913, only five priests in the United States were Black, despite an estimated 225,000 Black Catholics. This indicates that the Church was willing to establish ministries for Black people but had not yet achieved anything resembling proportional representation among the clergy.
At the same time, the period saw deliberate efforts to foster Black vocations. The Church encouraged the formation of Black priests who could minister among their own people. A 1923 Vatican text argued that every race or nation should have its own priests because clergy sharing the people’s origin, language, and cultural experience could evangelize them more effectively. It specifically promoted the admission of Black candidates to religious life and eventual ordination.
This policy had both a positive and a limiting dimension. Positively, it affirmed that Black people should become priests and leaders. But it could also imply that Black priests were principally valuable for ministry to Black communities, rather than as ordinary pastors and leaders throughout the Church.
Pius XI’s 1926 teaching represents a significant correction to racial paternalism. He rejected the notion that Africans and other colonized peoples were intellectually inferior, pointing to African students in Rome who equaled or surpassed other students. He further stated that indigenous clergy should eventually govern the churches and Catholic communities established by missionaries.
The development of the African hierarchy followed gradually. John XXIII reported that the first African vicars apostolic were appointed in 1939 and that by 1959 there were twenty-five African bishops. He also recorded a substantial increase in African priests—from ninety in 1918 to 1,811 in 1957.
These developments show a transition from a missionary model dominated by Europeans to a Church increasingly governed by African clergy. However, the need for such papal directives also indicates that equality was not simply assumed in practice. It had to be taught, defended, and institutionally implemented.
The supplied sources support four conclusions:
The sources do not provide enough information to quantify discrimination in seminaries, determine how often Black candidates were refused ordination, or give a complete account of Black clergy in every region and century. Those questions remain historically unresolved from the material supplied.
Overall, the historical record is neither one of simple exclusion nor one of uninterrupted equality. The Church proclaimed the equal dignity of Black people and, increasingly, the equality of Black clergy; yet Catholic institutions often operated within societies shaped by slavery, colonialism, and segregation. Black clergy were therefore supported and sometimes honored, but frequently developed within separate and subordinate structures before the Church more fully recognized their rightful place as pastors, bishops, and leaders of the whole Catholic Church.