Bishops push back on apology motion

‘Misconceptions’ on Pope’s plans must be clarified

OTTAWA • Catholic bishops were on Parliament Hill Wednesday to fight back against a motion supported by NDP and Liberal MPs, but opposed by some Conservatives, that calls on Pope Francis to apologize for the church’s role in residential schools.

Tension over the issue has been escalating after the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a letter last month saying Pope Francis felt he could not personally respond to the recommendation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for a formal apology.

The Commons motion was temporarily blocked on Wednesday after its introduction was denied unanimous consent by some Conservative MPs, who argued it’s not Parliament’s role to tell a church what to do. But NDP MP Charlie Angus, who spearheaded the motion, said it will be reintroduced without needing unanimity, and will come to a full vote — possibly as soon as next week.

The Catholic bishops gave a variety of reasons for opposing the motion, including that the Vatican was not directly involved with the schools, that Pope Benedict had already “expressed sorrow and regret for the abuses suffered in the residential schools” in 2009, and that Pope Francis has said he’s open to coming to Canada and meeting with Indigenous leaders.

“Our concern is it’s important to clear up any misconceptions that may be out there,” said Richard Gagnon, archbishop of Winnipeg, who said Catholic leaders at various levels have apologized over the years. He argued that Pope Francis was only saying he wouldn’t respond to the specific commission recommendation that the apology had to occur in Canada within a year.

“When he says he is open to considering to come to Canada, he’s not saying he will not apologize,” Gagnon said. “If you place Pope Francis among Indigenous people and he hears these horrible stories, what do you think he’s going to say?”

But the bishops could not say when such a visit might happen, and it was also unclear whether Pope Francis would consider a formal apology on behalf of the institution, as opposed to expressing sorrow in response to the stories (as Pope Benedict had done).

Bishop Lionel Gendron, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, rebutted a suggestion that a Papal apology was necessary due to the systemic involvement of the Catholic church in the residential school system.

“When there are bishops, cardinals involved, it’s not the whole church,” he said.

In background material given to MPs and Senators on Monday, the bishops say the Catholic church is a “decentralized structure,” and that only 16 of its 61 Canadian dioceses were directly associated with the schools.

“The Catholic Church as a whole in Canada was not associated with the Residential Schools, nor was the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops,” it said.

In a subsequent news conference, Angus said this statement “pushes this church towards very irresponsible

(IF THE POPE) HEARS THESE HORRIBLE STORIES, WHAT DO YOU THINK HE’S GOING TO SAY?

historical revisionism; it is not acceptable.”

He said “the church and the bishops were intimately involved in the development and the promotion of the residential schools ... the bishops were the champions, the defenders, the colluders and, in many cases, the abusers in that brutal system.”

Angus also said it was up to the Canadian bishops to make the apology happen.

“When (Pope Francis) said he was personally not able to respond, and then he said he’s in discussions with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, our understanding is that it’s the role of the Canadian Catholic church to reach out to the Pope and say this has to be done,” he said.

On stage with him were NDP MP Romeo Saganash, who is a residential school survivor, Evelyn Korkmaz, another survivor, and Senator Murray Sinclair, who headed up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.