Tallman: Catholic bishops should apologize as a group – and we should all repent

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Everyone is wondering why the Vatican did not apologize for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the residential school tragedy.

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Since Vatican Council II in the 1960s, it has been decided that, as far as possible, the Catholic Church should decentralize and that local issues should be dealt with locally. Trying to be a good CEO, rather than doing everything himself, Pope Francis has asked the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) to answer the question of residential schools.

On its website ( www.cccb.ca/indigenous-peoples/indian-residential-schools ), the CCCB declares: “The Catholic community in Canada has a decentralized structure. Each diocesan bishop is autonomous in his diocese and, although attached to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, is not responsible to it. About 16 of Canada’s 70 Catholic dioceses were associated with residential schools. The Catholic Church as a whole in Canada was not associated with residential schools, nor was the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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On the same page, there are apologies from 1991 to 2009 from various bishops as well as Jesuit and Oblate leaders for any abuse of indigenous children, their deep regret that it happened and their pledges to continue fighting for rights. indigenous.

However, the discovery of the burial sites of so many Indigenous children in residential schools is an entirely new situation. Despite the fact that 54 of the 70 Catholic dioceses were not involved in the schools, it seems to me that the Catholic Church as a whole is also involved. How many bishops from these 54 dioceses have reproached their fellow bishops for creating the schools? A new apology should come from a representative of the CCCB.

In fact, I think it takes more than an apology. Words are cheap and an apology does not make up for the centuries of suffering of Indigenous peoples. There must be genuine repentance and substantial change in the way we all relate to indigenous peoples.

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I include the Trudeau government in this. Although she has implemented some of the 94 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, she is fighting some of them in court.

I also include all non-native Canadians, including myself, in need of repentance. We have always voted for governments that broke treaties, flooded reserves with pipelines, ignored missing Indigenous women and girls, and did nothing substantial to address drinking water, drug addiction, suicide issues. and incarceration that have plagued indigenous peoples for decades.

How many of us have protested against this lack of concern for our Indigenous brothers and sisters? I know not, until now.

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What woke me up recently was a powerful sermon from a Catholic priest who has worked with Indigenous peoples for years. Like other priests in the northern missions, he visited the sick and prisoners and tried to help native causes. He experienced first-hand the devastation of Indigenous peoples.

In his sermon he asked, “Where in the gospels does he say we should invade other countries and take possession of their lands? Where is it said that we should treat the people who already lived there as subhuman beings without rights? He didn’t give any answer, he just asked those tough questions. The answers were obvious.

As voters, we are all involved in this tragedy. June 21 marked the 25th anniversary of National Indigenous Peoples Day, but not much has changed. So maybe what is needed is a National Day of Repentance for the Neglect of Indigenous Peoples. We all need to repent, to “turn away from the evil” that we have caused directly or indirectly, and the Catholic Church should lead the way in this regard.

Bruce Tallman is a London spiritual director, marriage preparation specialist and religious adult educator. brucetallman.com

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