Each year, the Catholic Church promotes Racial Justice Sunday, which in 2025 was held on 16 February and celebrated its 30th anniversary. The theme was ‘Pilgrims of Hope: Our Journey Together Towards Racial Justice’. Catholics across England and Wales were invited to reflect during this Jubilee Year on the collective journey towards racial justice in schools, parishes and wider society.

As part of these reflections, on 22 October, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales hosted a webinar titled, ‘Pilgrims of Hope: Promoting Racial Justice in our Parishes’, chaired by Bishop Paul McAleenan, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Lead Bishop for Racial Justice.

The purpose of the webinar was to listen to, and learn from, the experiences, challenges and opportunities in the mission of promoting racial justice in Catholic parishes today.

In his introduction, Bishop McAleenan prayed for an end to the suffering caused by racism, recalling the words of Pope Francis, “Racism is a virus that quickly mutates and, instead of disappearing, goes into hiding and lurks in waiting.”

Panellists explored how parishes can better understand and promote racial justice, examining the issues which are faced by people of colour, and looking especially at the intersection between racial justice and social issues, such as domestic abuse and migration.

The speakers expressed hope that parishes can be transformed into places where people can truly grow in ever-deeper knowledge and love of each other and of God. They made several practical recommendations for achieving this, including creating a culture of welcome and hospitality in parishes, taking an inclusive approach to parish ministry, ensuring a participatory approach is taken towards domestic abuse strategies, and being open to learning from other denominations.

Exploring the intersection between racial justice and domestic abuse, Nikki Dhillon-Keane, Founder of Caritas Safe in Faith and co-Founder of the Faith and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Coalition, said:

“We need to be able to recognise those victims and survivors who stand at the intersection of gender-based violence and racial oppression. We need to be able to speak up when we see victims and survivors being responded to differently and treated differently because of their background.”

Dr Gifford Rhamie, Doctor of Philosophy and member of the Black Churches Domestic Abuse Forum, echoed this call, and explained:

“We also need to develop a tailored domestic violence response framework that is specifically designed to address domestic violence within black church communities. The pastor is often the first person whom the member calls because of the trust involved, and because they see their situation holistically, meaning that part of what is needed is spiritual attention. Therefore, we need to implement a comprehensive training programme for black churches on domestic violence prevention and response, ensuring that church leaders and members know how to handle such situations effectively.”

In 2021, Canon Victor Darlington, Episcopal Vicar for the South-East Area of the Archdiocese of Southwark, was also appointed Episcopal Vicar of the Commission for Promoting Racial and Cultural Inclusion in the Archdiocese of Southwark.

He is leading diocesan efforts through parish-based and community projects which are aimed at de-escalating racial tensions and promoting diversity and equality through the lens of the gospel.

Describing his experience in parishes, Canon Darlington said:

“The power of hospitality and welcome can change the dynamics and can bring people in, making them know that they truly belong to our communities and that they have a voice.”

One of the outcomes of Canon Darlington’s work with parishes was the creation of a toolkit for Catholic churches called “Racial and Cultural Inclusion”. Led by St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in Carshalton Beeches, the toolkit offers guidance, support and suggestions to parishes and communities wishing to promote racial and cultural inclusion. This includes information about parish racial and cultural inclusion groups, creating a culture or welcome, ensuring diversity in parish ministries, dealing with racial incidents, and organising multi-cultural celebrations and events.

Following Canon Darlington, Bokani Tshidzu, a London-based multimedia artist and Bright Now Campaign Officer for Operation Noah, a Christian charity working with the Church to inspire action on the climate emergency, gave a personal testimony of her experience as a Zimbabwean migrant in Catholic parishes.

Tshidzu now uses her voice to amplify the voices of others and advocate for the role which churches can play in the promotion of racial justice.

She explained:

“I want to think about how the Church can use her voice to challenge injustice in legal, healthcare, and economic systems. If families are bringing their children to be baptised, are we also, as a Church, using our voice to speak out and advocate on behalf of black and racialised women who are three times more likely to die in childbirth? Is the Church alongside those who are suffering injustice in legal systems? How are we thinking about some of the economic systems in which the Church plays a role, for example, through its investments? We should encourage the Church, for example, to avoid investments that put people, and particularly racialised people, at risk.”

The final speaker, Daphne Amevenu, is a consultant supporting the development of social impact interventions and is also a Trustee of the Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN). Exploring the distinction between racial justice and migration, Daphne explained:

“It’s really important to do more awareness raising, helping people to understand what we mean when we talk about racial justice, how it links to migration, and also how it is different and distinct. We must continue to celebrate the diversity of the Church.”

The webinar concluded with an expression of hope that parishes can be transformed into places where people can truly grow in ever-deeper knowledge and love of each other and of God.

Several recommendations were made for practical ways in which this transformation can be achieved, including creating a culture of welcome and hospitality in parishes, taking an inclusive approach to parish ministry, ensuring a participatory approach is taken towards domestic abuse strategies, and being open to learning from other denominations.