When white supremacists marched, chanted, fought and killed in downtown Charlottesville on the weekend of Aug. 12 and 13, the talking heads of the news media began the instantaneous analysis of why violence occurred and who was responsible.

Watching the news coverage and reading the pundits’ analyses, one would think the “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” mantra of George Wallace had been uttered a few days ago rather than more than a half century ago.

A benefit of the coverage was the need to underscore both the seriousness and urgency of confronting racism.

In the aftermath of the marching, threatening and violence, what do we have?

We have a nation whose leaders failed to lead when confronted with an ugly past at war with today’s realities. The great universities of this country once exerted a special moral force and conscience-driven persuasion. That drive needs rekindling.

Catholics who moved into WASP neighborhoods after World War II’s victory over Nazism were shunned for years simply because they were Catholic. But they still enjoyed the privileges, such as voting and employment, attached to being white.

Subsequent arrivals of African American families into those white enclaves were not welcomed and neighbors who sold their houses to minorities went door-to-door to apologize to their soon-to-be former neighbors.

New Catholic parishes and schools had been opened and being Catholic was no longer cause for ostracism as continued acts of racism trumped anti-Catholicism.

Progress? No. The sin of race-based prejudice continued.

The one great teacher of morals and ethics still present is the Catholic Church. Even though scandal has gripped and ripped through the Church at various times and in various ugly ways, those exceptions actually highlight the ultimate force of the morals and teachings that draw people of all faiths to carefully watch when a pope is elected, dies or retires; or when an encyclical is issued; or when a back-of-an-airplane press conference occurs.

Even the hint of scandal occupies front pages precisely because it is an aberration from the Church’s moral and world view.

Catholic Charities’ mission statement includes “working with other people of good will in advocating for justice.” Our programs follow the Church’s teachings: unequivocally pro-life; overtly present for the poor, the oppressed, the refugee and immigrant; tirelessly advocating for the homeless.

Our job is to condemn lovingly (“hate the sin; love the sinner”) those who teach white superiority or promote racial hatred.

We may too often fail to hate the sin or love the sinner. But we will continue to advocate for justice, and live in the knowledge of our faith’s forgiveness while calling racism the evil that it is.

We are challenged to condemn the evil of the KKK and the Nazi fanaticism that pervert the name of Christianity. It may make our stomachs turn to say, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Maybe we should instead say, “Father, forgive us if we are complicit by silence or inaction.”