Statues, Dog Whistles, and Anti-Catholicism

The sudden rise and recent wave of anti-Catholic violence has come as something of a shock. What exactly do protests about George Floyd and accusations of police brutality have to do with Catholic churches, Saint Junipero Serra, Christopher Columbus, the Good Shepherd, and the Blessed Virgin Mary?  On the face of it, absolutely nothing. But as we have seen throughout history, once unconstrained mobs harboring malevolent grudges and ill-defined resentments are encouraged to prowl the streets wit

The sudden rise and recent wave of anti-Catholic violence has come as something of a shock. What exactly do protests about George Floyd and accusations of police brutality have to do with Catholic churches, Saint Junipero Serra, Christopher Columbus, the Good Shepherd, and the Blessed Virgin Mary?  On the face of it, absolutely nothing. But as we have seen throughout history, once unconstrained mobs harboring malevolent grudges and ill-defined resentments are encouraged to prowl the streets wit…