Punish those responsible

Re: Church burnings aren't sad. They're sacrilege, Father Raymond J. de Souza, July 3

Vandalizing and burning churches are criminal acts that must not be left unpunished. Nor should we leave unpunished Canada's genocide of First Nations people. The UN Convention on Genocide lists five acts of genocide which apply to First Nations and to residential schools, especially Article II (e): “forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.”The last residential school closed about 25 years ago. The police should now investigate still living church and lay officials who may have committed genocide. If found guilty, they should be punished. That would show that Canadians acknowledge the genocide of First Nations people, and that we seek forgiveness.

Reiner Jaakson, Oakville, Ont.