Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love

A pastoral letter from the United States bishops calling all Catholics to work towards a truly just society. The Catholic Church teaches that all are created in the image of God. Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love reflects on the dignity of every human person and establishes the Church’s moral imperative to combat racism as a life issue. A pastoral letter from the Catholic bishops of the United States, Open Wide Our Hearts seeks to address the sin of racism, personal and institutional, ongoing and in the history of the United States. It calls upon all Catholics to work towards a truly just society and embrace the love of God in treating everyone as a brother or sister of Christ. This authentically Catholic text: Offers a definition of racism and guidance on answering the urgent call to love rather than hate Reflects on the current and historical experiences of African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native Americans while acknowledging that many ethnic groups and nation