 Finally- Canadian Cardinal Asks Forgiveness For Church's Sins Against Gays, Others (Quebec City, Quebec) An apology from Canada's top Roman Catholic official for the failings of the church means little to some of those he admitted have been hurt by the church's abuse of power.
Marc Cardinal Ouellet admitted in an open letter published in Quebec newspapers Wednesday that scandals have tarnished the image of the church in Quebec and that ``we must humbly ask forgiveness.''
Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec and Roman Catholic primate of Canada, wrote that this ``abuse of power'' _ including the sexual aggression of priests against children _ have shaken public faith.
``I recognize that the narrow minds of some Catholics, prior to 1960, encouraged anti-Semitism, racism, indifference toward First Nations and discrimination toward women and homosexuals,'' Ouellet wrote.
He said these mistakes have tarnished the church's image and driven a wedge between the Quebec public and its religious identity.
``We understand. Forgive us for all this pain.''
But the appeal fell flat for some of the groups Ouellet recognized as victims.
``Do I feel better because the cardinal has recognized that wrongs were done to the population? Not really, because the cardinal doesn't offer any solutions,'' said Michael Hendricks, a gay activist in Montreal.
``Those wrongs are ongoing. The day that I see a woman in front of a Catholic Church, leading the prayers, then I'll say equality has come.''
Both the Quebec Assembly of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said Ouellet was expressing his own personal beliefs and was not writing on behalf of either group or the church as a whole.
``It's a personal letter from Cardinal Ouellet,'' said Rollande Parrot, spokeswoman for the Quebec assembly. ``Each bishop is free to write what he wants.''
There was a time when the Roman Catholic Church controlled almost all aspects of Quebec society, running its hospitals, schools and, largely, its politics.
In the 1950s, prior to the Quiet Revolution, nearly 90 per cent of Quebecers went to church every Sunday. It was one of the most staunchly Catholic regions of the world.
Today pews sit largely empty. A survey in 2000 found just 20 per cent of respondents attended church on a weekly basis.
Yet it wasn't until 1998 that education reforms abolished denominational schools in the public school system.
Next year, a final amendment will come into effect that will eliminate religious instruction from public schools and replace it with courses in ethics or religious culture.
It is an amendment the church vehemently opposes and one Ouellet mentions in his letter.
Bruno Roy, a spokesman for the Duplessis Orphans Committee, said the archbishop's mea culpa is a blatant attempt to bolster the church's flagging influence and its fight for religious instruction in public schools.
He said Ouellet has never, even in Wednesday's letter, actually apologized for the treatment of the orphans in church care during the Duplessis era.
``When you ask for forgiveness, you identify what you're asking forgiveness for. He didn't do that,'' said Roy, whose organization represents orphans abused while in church care during the regime of then-Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis.
Roy said the letter was without the broader backing of the Roman Catholic Church.
``So to me, the lying continues,'' he said. ``This is just a marketing operation.''
The provincial minister for the status of women welcomed the ``public confession,'' calling it a necessary taking of responsibility by the church.
``But I think there's a lot of work to be done on the part of the Catholic church to fully welcome women and offer equality between men and women,'' Christine Saint-Pierre said in Quebec City.
©365Gay.com 2007
At least someone from the catholic church admits to unchristian behavior!
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