Why Won't Pope Francis Apologize for Indigenous Abuses in Canada?

Asaph2021 · Jun 8, 2021

Pope Francis stops short of apology over deaths in ex-Catholic school in Canada

Besides being a huge slap in the face to residential school survivors and Indigenous people in Canada, the Pope's refusal to issue an apology for the abuses which took place in Catholic-run Indigenous schools is causing the Church's reputation in Canada to hit a new low. The three other churches which ran these schools have apologized--why is our Church the lone holdout? Non-Catholics in Canada who are following this story are not wrong to feel a sense of disgust at the hypocrisy of an institution which demands that the faithful confess their sins and do penance, yet refuses to acknowledge its own misdeeds.

Gregory Thompson · Jun 8, 2021

I was wondering if he'd apologize, too bad.

Michie · Jun 8, 2021

Now, some context:

Did you notice that the “residential schools” were set up by a program of the Canadian government? The schools were administered by churches, but the government was ultimately responsible. So if conditions were substandard (which they were) and abuse occurred (which it did), the blame should not fall exclusively on the Church.

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Incredibly enough, the Canadian program of residential schools, born in unsubtle racism, survived until 1996. Since that time, leaders of the native tribes that suffered under the program have understandably demanded apologies. And apologies have been forthcoming: both from the government and from the religious bodies that administered the schools.

Actually the Oblates who administered the school in Kamloops made their apology earlier: in 1991. (The school was closed in 1978, well ahead of the program’s final shutdown.) Many Church leaders in Canada have issued apologies. Pope Benedict XVI voiced “his sorrow at the anguish caused by the deplorable conduct of some members of the Church” in 2009. This past weekend, speaking about the shocking discovery in Kamloops, Pope Francis said that it “further increases understanding of the pain and suffering of the past.”

Church leaders have apologized, then. But no matter: political activists demand more apologies: more sweeping, more abject. And again, those demands carry some weight, because the scandal was egregious. But why are these demands aimed exclusively at the Church, and not at the political powers that should have initiated the program, and should have supervised the schools?

In full-
Selective indignation: Canadian calls for a Vatican apology

Gregory Thompson · Jun 8, 2021

I'm curious, are the mass burials of children recently discovered in line with how a human corpse should be treated according to Catholic teaching?

(yes or no)

Michie · Jun 8, 2021

Michael Collum said:
I'm curious, are the mass burials of children recently discovered in line with how a human corpse should be treated according to Catholic teaching?

(yes or no)

Absolutely not.

Michie · Jun 8, 2021

Cardinal Collins Responds to Requests for Pope Francis to Apologize for Church-Run School Abuses

Asaph2021 · Jun 8, 2021

Michie said:
Now, some context:

Did you notice that the “residential schools” were set up by a program of the Canadian government? The schools were administered by churches, but the government was ultimately responsible. So if conditions were substandard (which they were) and abuse occurred (which it did), the blame should not fall exclusively on the Church.

This is a strawman. Nobody is saying the blame should fall exclusively on the Church (although the Church did run over 60% of residential schools). However, unlike the government, which has apologized profusely and financially compensated victims of residential schools, and the other churches, which have also formally apologized and taken real steps toward reconciliation, the Church has failed to issue an official apology to Indigenous people harmed by its institutions. This is completely unacceptable.

Michie said:
————————
Incredibly enough, the Canadian program of residential schools, born in unsubtle racism, survived until 1996. Since that time, leaders of the native tribes that suffered under the program have understandably demanded apologies. And apologies have been forthcoming: both from the government and from the religious bodies that administered the schools.

Actually the Oblates who administered the school in Kamloops made their apology earlier: in 1991. (The school was closed in 1978, well ahead of the program’s final shutdown.) Many Church leaders in Canada have issued apologies. Pope Benedict XVI voiced “his sorrow at the anguish caused by the deplorable conduct of some members of the Church” in 2009. This past weekend, speaking about the shocking discovery in Kamloops, Pope Francis said that it “further increases understanding of the pain and suffering of the past.”

Church leaders have apologized, then.

The Pope's "expression of sorrow", which did not even come in a timely manner, was not an actual apology or admission of guilt. The fact is, the leader of our Church has failed to apologize and display accountability to the Indigenous people. This is unconscionable, and erodes what may have been left of the Church's moral credibility in the eyes of many Canadians.

Michie said:
But no matter: political activists demand more apologies: more sweeping, more abject. And again, those demands carry some weight, because the scandal was egregious. But why are these demands aimed exclusively at the Church, and not at the political powers that should have initiated the program, and should have supervised the schools?
[/quote]

This is like Adam blaming Eve. Similarly, card-carrying Catholics need to stop defending and deflecting when the Church is clearly in the wrong.

Michie · Jun 8, 2021

Asaph2021 said:
This is a strawman. Nobody is saying the blame should fall exclusively on the Church (although the Church did run over 60% of residential schools). However, unlike the government, which has apologized profusely and financially compensated victims of residential schools, and the other churches, which have also formally apologized and taken real steps toward reconciliation, the Church has failed to issue an official apology to Indigenous people harmed by its institutions. This is completely unacceptable.

The Pope's "expression of sorrow", which did not even come in a timely manner, was not an actual apology or admission of guilt. The fact is, the leader of our Church has failed to apologize and display accountability to the Indigenous people. This is unconscionable, and erodes what may have been left of the Church's moral credibility in the eyes of many Canadians.

It’s an article. I’m showing you the differing opinions about the topic. There are all sorts of various opinions out there but it is no straw man that the government was involved in these schools as well.

Asaph2021 · Jun 8, 2021

Michie said:
Church leaders have apologized, then. But no matter: political activists demand more apologies: more sweeping, more abject. And again, those demands carry some weight, because the scandal was egregious. But why are these demands aimed exclusively at the Church, and not at the political powers that should have initiated the program, and should have supervised the schools?

This is like Adam blaming Eve. Similarly, card-carrying Catholics need to stop defending and deflecting when the Church is clearly in the wrong. Non-Catholics interpret this as a lack of humility; perhaps they are right?

Michie · Jun 8, 2021

Asaph2021 said:
This is like Adam blaming Eve. Similarly, card-carrying Catholics need to stop defending and deflecting when the Church is clearly in the wrong. Non-Catholics interpret this as a lack of humility; perhaps they are right?

I think it’s completely wrong. As far as the pope not apologizing, I don’t know why but you are taking out your frustration on the wrong person. Why has he abandoned Catholics in China? Do you know?

Asaph2021 · Jun 8, 2021

Michie said:
It’s an article. I’m showing you the differing opinions about the topic. There are all sorts of various opinions out there but it is no straw man that the government was involved in these schools as well.

Okay. As you are American, I'm not expecting you to be an expert on residential schools or to understand the full scope of their legacy. But do not think that there are "various opinions" in Canada regarding the merits of residential schools or the need for all parties involved in their administration to apologize. Pope Francis doesn't have any supporters here other than perhaps a few hardline Catholics who automatically defend everything he says or does.

Asaph2021 · Jun 8, 2021

Our Catholic Prime Minister has suggested that the Church is refusing to admit guilt on the advice of its lawyers--basically, for financial reasons. I would hope that's not the case. What might be some other reasons the Church is refusing to accept blame? In the case of some ecclesiastical authorities there may be a lack of humility, but I think the Pope must have his own reason(s).

Michie · Jun 8, 2021

Asaph2021 said:
Okay. As you are American, I'm not expecting you to be an expert on residential schools or to understand the full scope of their legacy. But do not think that there are "various opinions" in Canada regarding the merits of residential schools or the need for all parties involved in their administration to apologize. Pope Francis doesn't have any supporters here other than perhaps a few hardline Catholics who automatically defend everything he says or does.

I’ll wait for Trudeau to apologize for your government as well. So you say Canada does not have various opinions and OBOB does not support Pope Francis. For three posts, you seem to know us all pretty well. But you do not seem like a newbie.

Asaph2021 · Jun 8, 2021

Michie said:
I’ll wait for Trudeau to apologize for your government as well. So Canada does not have various opinions and OBOB does not support Pope Francis. For three posts, you seem to know us all pretty well. But you do not seem like a newbie.

Trudeau has apologized. And you misunderstood; I was saying that Canadians do not support Francis' failure to apologize. I wasn't referencing OBOB.

Michie · Jun 8, 2021

Asaph2021 said:
Trudeau has apologized. And you misunderstood; I was saying that Canadians do not support Francis' failure to apologize. I wasn't referencing OBOB.

Okay. Thanks.

Michie · Jun 8, 2021

Michie said:
Cardinal Collins Responds to Requests for Pope Francis to Apologize for Church-Run School Abuses

Catholic organizations and leaders have already apologized for the past abuses in the system, he noted, including a formal apology and payments to survivors by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who operated the Kamloops school for more than seven decades.

“Pope Benedict XVI also had the chance to meet with Indigenous leaders in 2009 to personally express his sorrow and anguish,” he said. After that meeting, Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said he hoped the pope’s statement would “close the book” on Church apologies for the schools, according to Cardinal Collins.

“These actions do not erase our history; they acknowledge our past, force us to face the consequences of our behaviour and compel us to ensure that our sins are not repeated,” he said on June 3.

In response to requests for an apology by the Catholic Church in Canada, Cardinal Collins said that “[t]here is no such entity.”

“Each Catholic diocese and religious order is an independent legal entity,” he stated, noting that only 16 of the country’s 70 dioceses “were associated with the former residential schools,” with around three dozen Catholic institutes connected to the schools.

“Each diocese and institute is corporately and legally responsible for its own actions,” he said, noting, “Many of the dioceses or orders operating schools have offered apologies, dating back to the early 1990s.”

The country’s bishops apologized in unison with some religious communities in 1991, for abuses in the residential school system, he said. The president of the Canadian bishops’ conference also issued a statement on May 31 expressing sorrow and a desire for reconciliation after the Kamloops school discovery.

The Archbishop of Vancouver last week apologized to survivors and their families, and committed to “tangible actions.” These actions included transparency with Church records, mental health support, and counseling, and technical and professional assistance with honoring and re-burying the deceased chidren.

Michie · Jun 8, 2021

Graffiti reading ‘banished’, ‘evicted’, and ‘crime scene’ was found spray painted on the walls of St. Joseph’s May 31

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — The chief of the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, or Kamloops Indian Band, has condemned the vandalism of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Kamloops shortly after the discovery of indigenous children’s graves at a nearby Church-run residential school.

“We are deeply disturbed to learn that the Saint Joseph’s church was vandalized. The church was built from the ground up by Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc members. We understand the many emotions connected to a Roman Catholic run residential school. At the same time, we respect the choices that Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc ancestors made, over a 100 years ago, to erect this church,” read a May 31 statement from Rosanne Casimir, the band’s chief.

Continued below.
Tk̓emlúps ‘Disturbed’ by Vandalism of Church Building Near Church-Run School in Canada

Gregory Thompson · Jun 8, 2021

Michie said:
Absolutely not.

Thanks for confirming.

Michie · Jun 8, 2021

Michael Collum said:
Thanks for confirming.

You’re welcome!

Basil the Great · Jun 8, 2021

This is the first that I have heard of problems in Canadian schools. I do recall reading a few years ago about physical abuse in some Irish schools.

Why Won't Pope Francis Apologize for Indigenous Abuses in Canada?

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