An anti-racism charity has backed a campaign by the Catholic Church to address racial prejudice.

Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda said yesterday it “welcomes and applauds” the Church’s anti-racism initiative set to start next month.

A spokeswoman for Curb said that “recognising and examining the history of the church and understanding the need to encourage group discussion around serious subject matters is the first step towards a greater awareness and empathy for that which divides us and helps identify those things that we share.

“Those who value their freedom of faith without valuing freedom, equality and justice in broader areas of life, have only a narrow application and limited view of the roots of their own faith.”

She was speaking after the Right Reverend Wieslaw Spiewak, Catholic Bishop of Hamilton, said on Tuesday the Church was to launch a six-month anti-racism drive and admitted Catholics had not done enough in the past to tackle the problem. The Curb spokeswoman said the organisation recognised the Church was “honestly attempting to address racism head on”.

She added that faith communities and individuals “have a long history of being present and centre in the fight for freedom and justice”.

The spokeswoman added: “Seeking new knowledge, authentic discussion and learning around race is key to speaking the truth to each other in love within a faith community.”

She said that Christians had a “responsibility” to talk about race in the context of “Christ and their faith”. The spokeswoman added that the Catholic Church “is confronting this with courage and determination”.