A rchive Date
[ 23-02-2005 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
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[Churches used as patsies
Real threat to Canadians of all faiths exists here
By PAUL JACKSON - Calgary Sun
September 20, 2000
The Anglican Archbishop of Athabasca says our nation's mainline churches should stop "beating themselves up" with guilt and apologies over their role in the history of Native residential schools.
The Rt. Rev. John Clark is bang on, of course.
Just as is the Venerable Barry J. Foster, executive officer of the Anglican Diocese of Calgary, who has had a gut full of Ottawa using our churches as patsies.
What Clark should have also said - and what Foster has said - is it's about time Anglican, Roman Catholic and United churches forcefully counteract the tactics Ottawa has employed in using our nation's three main Christian denominations as scapegoats in this mess.
Ominously, this week Ottawa indicated it isn't going to let the churches "off the hook" in the controversy.
Yet, right now, church leaders have a perfect time to fight back - a federal election looms and for the Liberals to suddenly find themselves in a quagmire of trying to sandbag - even destroy - these three denominations would surely bring a backlash at the polls.
Especially, when it's hinted Justice Minister Anne McLellan and Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault egged Ottawa on to throw the churches to the wolves.
I'll put the issue into easy perspective again:
There are now almost 7,000 lawsuits seeking damages totalling more than $1 billion against the federal government by former Native pupils of of the residential schools alleging systematic sexual, physical and even "cultural" abuse.
One guesses most of these lawsuits are bogus.
The schools were ordered placed in Indian reserves by the federal government in the early part of this century, not only to give Native children something akin to a nominal education - but also as tool for forced assimilation into white culture.
These days, we are told this was a terrible policy.
Whatever, the only way Ottawa could make the schools function was by having the churches administer them. Priests, teachers and other church members would work long hours, for low pay, in desolate spots, because it was seen as a vocation.
All went smoothly - with accolades by Native students for their teachers - until the new dawning of Native rights.
Then, after a few, likely genuine lawsuits were launched, lawyers, seeing fat fees, started touring Native communities urging former students to dredge through their memories and "recall" incidents of abuse.
Individual damages in the tens of thousands of dollars range were dangled before the eyes of these "victims."
So, the lawsuits against Ottawa started to roll in, and then became an avalanche.
Suddenly, out of the blue, Chretien's Liberals decided to haul the churches into the fray and name them as third-party co-defendants. Alarmingly, the churches now face bankruptcy because of Ottawa's actions.
Bishop Clark's point that church members shouldn't tear themselves apart with middle-class guilt is well put. We all know there's a lot of hypocrisy in society today.
We of European stock are supposed to hang our heads in shame at what we have supposedly done to the rest of the world - which was basically to bring civilization and democracy to it.
But here's the real threat to Canadians of all faiths unless Ottawa does what is right and absolves the three denominations from the lawsuit conspiracy: If we allow the Roman Catholic, Anglican and United churches to be destroyed, then the survival of smaller denominations, even non-Christian ones, will be threatened.
Why?
Because these three mainstream churches have traditionally acted as an umbrella for much smaller denominations. So if they collapse, then the protective shield they have given other churches will also collapse.
Today, because of this issue and the way Ottawa has decided to resolve it, the survival of every religion in Canada is at stake,
That's why every man, woman and child of faith - no matter what faith - should answer the call.
Jackson, associate editor of the Sun, can be reached at paul.jackson@cal.sunpub.com
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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