Pope Francis on Sunday condemned racism, comparing it to a “virus” that changes and persists throughout time.
“Racism is a virus that quickly mutates and, instead of disappearing, goes into hiding, and lurks in waiting,” he wrote on his official twitter handle.
Racism is a virus that quickly mutates and, instead of disappearing, goes into hiding, and lurks in waiting. Instances of racism continue to shame us, for they show that our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive as we think. #FightRacism #FratelliTutti
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) March 21, 2021
“Instances of racism continue to shame us, for they show that our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive as we think.”
The Pope’s tweet is coming on a day that the United Nations marks as International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
On Saturday, thousands of people gathered for a “Stop Asian Hate” rally in response to the attack on Tuesday during which Robert Aaron Long, 21, was charged with murder for targeting three Asian-owned spas in the Atlanta area.
The annual U.N. commemoration on March 21 falls on the anniversary of the day that police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in 1960.
