The Church cannot return to normal

Reconciliation with Indigenous people may take 7 generations

It would be a difficult task to tote up the number of times Pope Francis, the Canadian bishops and the various Catholic “entities” which ran residential schools have apologized for the trauma, abuse and cultural genocide cause by those schools. It is probably in the dozens. Then there are the apologies from the Anglican and Protestant churches as well.

By this time, survivors of the schools and their descendants have either accepted or rejected those apologies. Acceptance of an apology does not mean that a person’s trauma is over, but it does imply that they are, in some way, moving on.

Media commentators, meanwhile, continue to parse the words of those apologies to see if they have “gone far enough” or are in some way incomplete. By now, this is beside the point. The apologies were sincere and fulsome. The pope will not return to Canada to make further apologies. It is time to take the next steps.

As a lifelong journalist, I value the role of the mainstream media in keeping the populace informed and uncovering well-concealed scandals. But as I have aged, I have concluded that the media can make reconciliation more difficult by highlighting controversy and division.

Taking the next steps does not mean “Well, that’s finally over. We can return to life as normal.” Rather, we need to move to a higher stage, that of putting words into action.

Many Indigenous people are past the point of caring about apologies. What they most want is for stolen land to be returned, treaties respected and self-determination granted. If those things do not happen, everything else is dross. There is no “walking together” if there is not first justice.

The original sin of the Americas – stolen land – is now an entrenched reality. There is no going back to the pre-Columbian era. But the history of pushing First Nations onto the least desirable parcels of land demands redress. Much aboriginal title has not been ceded. The Indian Act, solidly rooted in colonialism, is still in force.

The Church has a role in bringing justice to Turtle Island, a role which should be more than symbolic. Our commitment to reconciliation must move from words to action. Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, listed eight steps the Church should take toward reconciliation:

1)     Rescind the Doctrine of Discovery.

2)    Ensure all records of the Church and Holy See related to residential schools are turned over to the proper Indigenous organizations.

3)    Return anything taken from Indigenous people, such as land, cultural artifacts, records and human remains.

4)    Reform Church teachings and practices that interfere with the rights of Indigenous people, including those on women and gender diverse people.

5)    Promote Indigenous peoples’ rights globally, including the promotion of their spiritual practices and beliefs.

6)    Protect all vulnerable people, including children, against abuse, hold perpetrators and their enablers accountable, and provide reparations to victims.

7)    Provide just reparations to residential school survivors and the estates of children who died.

8)    Review injustices committed by the Church around the world to determine where apologies and justice should be applied.

Whatever Church leaders think of each item on that list, it does represent one native leader’s proposals for action. Also on the action list should be the fulfillment of the pledge by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2021 to raise $30 million within five years to fund programs run by Indigenous people for healing and reconciliation of residential school survivors.

Pope Francis did not provide such specifics during his talks and homilies while in Canada. What he did rather was call the Church in Canada to conversion. “We need to return to Galilee,” he said at a Vespers service in Notre Dame Basilica in Quebec City on July 28. That is, the Church and Catholic believers need to regain the simplicity and enthusiasm of the early Church. She must be a welcoming community which embodies love without borders.

She should not create plans without reference to God, he said, for that would be idolatry. Jesus must be at the centre of all our pastoral activities, the pope said in another talk.

At Lac Ste. Anne, Alta., he called for a revolution of love. We need healing from our attempts to defend the institution and from preferring worldly power to the Gospel. After examining the history and pain of native peoples, we must ask, “What do I do for Indigenous peoples? … Do I pray, meet, read, support them, and let myself be touched by their stories?”

The next steps to reconciliation are not a choice between practical action and a change of heart. Both are required. There is no justice if there is not love first. Today, we overemphasize the political and pay insufficient attention to the personal.

Pope Francis wisely refrained from dictating what practical steps need to be taken. He is not a CEO or prime minister but a spiritual leader. Future steps should be decided by the Church in Canada, ideally in a synodal fashion, and in partnership with Indigenous people. We should work with national Indigenous leaders to develop a Canada-wide action plan. Reconciliation needs to occur at the parish level. As well, every diocese should work with Indigenous peoples in its region to chart a way forward.

Most of all, Catholics need to develop the sensitivity to Indigenous concerns so evident in Pope Francis’ words and actions during his six-day visit to Canada. The journey is only beginning. First Nations elders say it takes seven generations to heal the pain of deep trauma. We must be in this for the long haul.

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