Fr. Jerry J. Pokorsky: “I Am Not a Racist!”

By Father Jerry J. Pokorsky, Catholic World Report, January 18, 2026

Father Jerry J. Pokorsky is a priest of the Diocese of Arlington. He is pastor of St. Catherine of Siena parish in Great Falls, Virginia.. He holds a Master of Divinity degree as well as a master’s degree in moral theology.

Authentic conversion of heart, not ideological formation, is the Church’s most effective response to sin.

In our highly politicized culture, sin is rarely discussed as a violation of God’s law. Even more rarely do we acknowledge sinful inclinations as the interior sources of sinful acts. Instead, we often reduce moral questions to political positions, confusing theological anthropology with ideology.

Authentic and orthodox Catholic moral theology, however, provides the conceptual clarity necessary to distinguish between inclination, action, and moral responsibility.

The judicial system offers an instructive example. So-called “hate crimes” are punished more severely than the same offenses committed without passionate motives. Institutionally, politically, and judicially, certain expressions of hatred are singled out as uniquely contemptible.. …

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