The 200 men’s religious communities who make up the Conference of Major Superiors of Men — of which the Viatorians are members — issued a statement today, amid this week of turmoil.

“This moment in our nation and in the life of our Church demands more than a statement of anguish,” the statement reads. “It requires us to commit publicly to change, starting with ourselves.

“We must begin a collective effort — as religious institutes for men, monasteries, and societies for apostolic life — to work to dismantle the individual and systemic practices that perpetuate racism in the places where we live out our vocations.

“We must listen. We must mourn. We must repent. We must change.”