To the citizens of Revere, Rev. Karunaya Xavier Arulraj, and St. Anthony’s of Padua Parish:

I am writing this petition as a concerned resident of Revere regarding the continued presence of the Christopher Columbus statue outside of St. Anthony's Church at 250 Revere St, Revere, MA. I wrote an email or two to the church a few months ago, but received no communication from them. I am once again asking for the statue to be removed, inquiring on who has final say on the removal of this statue, and asking whether or not community input is at all valued in this decision.

When we think about what being a Catholic means in the 21st Century, we cannot dismiss the horrendous expansion of Catholicism and conquest in what we now call the Americas. Christopher Columbus participated in and enabled the rapes, murders, and enslavement of millions of Indigenous people and the dispossession of their lands across what is now known as the Americas, effects of which can still be felt and seen today. The continued existence of the Christopher Columbus statue on display in front of St. Anthony’s is at the very least a passive choice made by the Church and is, in its very nature, a tribute to genocide and colonialism. 

Additionally, when considering that many parishioners at St. Anthony’s are people whose ancestors were colonized in the name of Catholicism and Imperialism (Latine, Haitian, Brazilian, and Vietnamese parishioners), the statue exists in incredibly bad faith. 

I understand that many Italian-American community members might find a sense of pride with there being a “representation” of their culture on the property. The same "pride" goes for other local areas like Christopher Columbus park in the North End of Boston. To those people, I would ask "Why do you feel a sense of pride identifying with a colonizer? Why do you feel pride knowing and being reminded that someone with your ethnic background enabled the deaths of millions?"

The Catholic Church has in general committed countless horrendous crimes against humanity across the Americas, aiding in the dispossession of millions of Indigenous peoples’ lands, and the destruction of Indigenous lives, livelihoods, and freedom all around the world. When thinking about what reparations and restorative practices can look like (apart from finding missing and murdered Indigenous Women (#MMIW) and #LandBack), the removal of historical statues that put these mass murderers on a pedestal is a first step in solidarity citizens of Revere can push for and St. Anthony’s Church of Padua can perform. 

Be on the right side of history.