by Father Vincent G. Guest | Catholic Star Herald

As the country honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 20, it is important to remember how our recent popes have spoken about the importance of his legacy of nonviolence and racial harmony.

As was reported by Vatican News in a June 2020 article by Alessandro Gisotti, titled “The Pope’s and Martin Luther King’s Dream,” Pope Saint Paul VI received Dr. King at the Vatican on Sept. 18, 1964, and encouraged him to continue his peaceful commitment against racial discrimination. After Dr. King’s assassination, Pope Paul VI mourned his death and called for a “renewed commitment to forgiveness, peace, reconciliation, and that just laws should replace unjust discrimination.”