Amid the turmoil following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said the Church must proclaim the Gospel message of Jesus’ love for all people, as well as its teaching on the dignity of human life.

The Church can also provide a way for people to process what they are experiencing, in the Twin Cities and beyond, after Floyd’s death, including anger or fear, the archbishop said. The events of recent days have revealed in the Twin Cities and the country concern and anger about racism “that was just below the surface.”

“Until we address the underlying wound, it’s not going to go away,” he said. “And so it (racism) is something we have to really address head on, but in a way that brings to bear the light of Christ, which is hopeful even in addressing painful situations.”

Speaking with The Catholic Spirit June 1, a week following Floyd’s death on Memorial Day, Archbishop Hebda said the horror hasn’t faded after watching a video showing Floyd handcuffed, face down on the ground and begging to breathe while a police officer kneeled on his neck, even after he became unresponsive.

“It’s shocking that there could be in anybody’s heart such an absence of concern for human life,” he said of the police officers who pinned Floyd down after he was arrested for allegedly trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. “And listening to him (Floyd) say that he can’t breathe, or listening to him call to his mother, it’s gut wrenching. I’ve said that before, and that hasn’t really subsided. … That video is probably more devastating than anything I’ve ever seen.”

The more he reflects, the more shocking and discouraging it is, he said. But it also highlights the need for the Church to share the Gospel.

“I certainly understand the anger people are feeling, especially since this isn’t the first time our community has experienced something like this,” he said. In the last five years, police were involved in the shooting deaths of two other black men: Jamar Clark in 2015 and Philando Castile in 2016.

However, even when people experience righteous anger and long for justice, they are still called to love their brothers and sisters, Archbishop Hebda said. “I think for so many people, that anger has clouded that. And so when we see the destruction in our cities, that’s a clarion call for us to make Jesus’ good news present in a way that’s compelling and then brings people to a new perspective.”

Rioting began at the Minnehaha shopping center May 27 with the looting of a Target store and the burning of several buildings, including an AutoZone. On May 28, the riots moved to St. Paul, starting with an afternoon looting of another Target and ending with more fires, predominantly along University Avenue. That night, rioters in Minneapolis burned down the Minneapolis Police’s Third Precinct building. Looting and vandalism diminished with city curfews and the National Guard presence Gov. Tim Walz deployed over the weekend.

Peaceful protests also took place throughout the days and nights in the week following Floyd’s death, and a large memorial has been created at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis, where Floyd died. A memorial service for Floyd was held in Minneapolis June 4, and his body will be returned to Houston, Texas, where he was raised, for additional memorial services and his funeral.

The four officers involved have been fired from the Minneapolis police department and charged in Floyd’s death. Derek Chauvin, the officer who pinned Floyd with his knee, has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three others face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Archbishop Hebda lives at a rectory in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood, just a few blocks north of University Avenue. In a community that may now be without access to public transportation and groceries, he’s witnessed acts of kindness toward his neighbors: young people with push brooms uniting to clear out rubble and broken glass, bags of groceries donated for distribution, a pallet with carrots and pears set out for the taking.

“The generosity is phenomenal. It brings that ray of Christian hope into a bleak situation,” he said.

He and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens have been in touch with the priests whose communities were most affected by the rioting, listening to their experiences and their parishioners’ stories. On May 29, the two bishops joined Father Erich Rutten for a 7 p.m. prayer service at St. Peter Claver, a parish that has historically served the African American community in St. Paul. Then, from 8-9 p.m., they held a holy hour at the Cathedral of St. Paul, joining an interfaith hour of prayer called for by St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.

On June 2, Archbishop Hebda joined other Catholic priests and Twin Cities clergy for marches in Minneapolis and St. Paul, both led by clergy of color.

The local Church will renew its effort to address racism in society and the Church, Archbishop Hebda said. He pointed to two documents to guide those conversations: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2018 document on racism, and a 2003 pastoral letter written by Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Efforts have also been underway in recent years to revive a black leadership initiative. “That is an area of interest, and we have been encouraging those discussions to take place in the black Catholic community,” he said. “In my mind, it’s important for us to move forward.”

The archdiocese’s Lay Advisory Board and priest council may also be able to give direction on how to give a higher profile to that work, he said.

At this moment, Catholics should begin with prayer as well as an examination of conscience, Archbishop Hebda said, looking to see “how our lives have been shaped by racist attitudes, if they’ve been shaped by racist attitudes, regardless of the color of our skin.”

Racism “is certainly pervasive in society,” he said, “and even though I would love to say it has no place in the Church, we know that we bring our humanity to the pew. And that’s where the Lord has that chance to transform us. But we recognize that the Church has talked about racism being such a great sin, and there is an acknowledgement that it has had its impact in the Church. And for us to be really intentional about addressing that, I think it’s a no brainer.”

Correction: An earlier version contained errors in the chronology of the riots in Minneapolis.