Dear Pope Francis:

This letter is written to ask you to canonize the six African American candidates for sainthood immediately.  It is embarrassing to many of us in America that in the church where we worship, there are no United States African American saints recognized by the highest church authorities.  At 899 saints, you, as Pope, have canonized the most saints in Catholic Church history. It is time that African Americans “go marching in” with that number. 

Blacks in America have endured unearned suffering since the first enslaved persons arrived in 1619.  The six African American candidates for sainthood were either born into enslavement or educated the enslaved at personal risks to themselves.  Their lives were miracles of generosity of spirit, sacrifice and survival, many would argue.

We are asking you to name Pierre Toussaint, Henriette DeLille, Augustus Tolton, Julia Greeley, Mother Mary Lange and Thea Bowman as Catholic saints using your santo subito process.  To many of us in America, sainthood delayed is sainthood denied. 

While African Americans have remained faithful to the church over centuries: enduring enslavement, racial segregation (even within the church), mass incarceration and mass poverty, we have been treated as second class members.  You canonizing the six current candidates for sainthood would make a very strong statement of reckoning and reconciliation.  While there are no U.S. African American saints there are 11 white Americans who have been canonized.  We know there is a process but it is not working for Black American Catholics and supporters.  The process is reaping unfair, uneven results, especially when you realize that the six Black saints have been waiting 714 years totally if you add up the times since each died.

Please treat the six African American candidates for sainthood fairly by redefining and rectifying the process.  Please canonize them immediately. If not now, when? If not you, who?

Sincerely and respectfully yours,