A Villanova theology course will teach students that the Catholic Church is guilty of operating as an instrument of racial segregation and white supremacy — a problem which can only be fixed by embracing “black theology,” which is “[u]niquely capable of grasping the truth of the Gospel.”
“Racism and the Catholic Church” will be offered to Villanova students starting in the fall of 2016 and counts toward both a major in theology and a minor in “peace and justice.”
A course description offered by the university’s Center for Peace and Justice states that “Although the Catholic Church understands itself as the Body of Christ, the lived history of the church in the United States shows that the church has not been able to bring blacks and whites together as members of one body.”
“This course will explore the way in which the church has operated as an instrument of not racial unity and justice but racial segregation and white supremacy,” the description continues.
The claim that the Church isn’t the the united Body of Christ appears to be a direct contradiction of Church teaching — an explosive position from a university claiming to be “grounded in the wisdom of the Catholic intellectual tradition.”
A course description offered by Villanova’s theology department repeats many of the same charges but adds that the Catholic Church “has participated in white supremacy.” The description briefly concedes that the church “has also been mobilized as an instrument of resistance” to white supremacy but immediately after says that “the church surrendered to white supremacy.”
According to the theology department, the course will also study the example of African-American Catholics who “have engaged in theology as a way to unmask, expose, and endure the evils of white supremacy.”
“Uniquely capable of grasping the truth of the Gospel, black theology makes a vital theological contribution to the global church,” the description states. “Inspired by their example, this course seeks to empower you to supply solutions to the theological problem of white supremacy.”
The course will be taught by associate theology professor Kathleen Grimes. The university website states her specialty as “Christian Ethics.” Professor Grimes did not respond to The Daily Caller’s request for comment.
