In a forthcoming book, Pope Francis threw his support behind the people who protested worldwide for racial justice after the death of George Floyd in police custody.
The book, Let Us Dream, amid Francis’s reflections on the coronavirus pandemic, refers to Floyd’s death as a “gross violation of human dignity that we cannot allow and which we must continue to struggle against.” Francis also criticizes conservative Catholics who protested pandemic restrictions, asserting that they did not show the same vigor for racial justice.
“You’ll never find such people protesting the death of George Floyd, or joining a demonstration because there are shantytowns where children lack water or education,” Francis wrote. “They turned into a cultural battle what was in truth an effort to ensure the protection of life.”
On Monday, Francis met with NBA players and executives to discuss racial and social justice. The union representing the players, Marco Belinelli, Sterling Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Kyle Korver, and Anthony Tolliver, told the Associated Press that the meeting covered their “individual and collective efforts addressing social and economic injustice and inequality occurring in their communities.”
Michele Roberts, the union’s spokeswoman, said that Francis sought out the meeting.
Francis has previously weighed in on the Floyd protests. As protests heated up across the country in June, he condemned the “sin of racism” in the United States.
“I have witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days following the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd,” Francis said. “My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life.”
At the same time, Francis warned against the looting, rioting, and attacks on monuments occurring in many major cities, a theme he took up again in Let Us Dream. The pope warned against political demagoguery, a reference many interpreted as a swipe at President Trump.
“Amputating history can make us lose our memory, which is one of the few remedies we have against repeating the mistakes of the past,” Francis wrote of attacks on statues and monuments.
