The truth is that there have been many apologies issued by many popes.

But as Pope Francis’ visit to Canada begins this weekend, the question to be asked is whether these men have taken substantial steps to end the abuses in which the church they lead has been complicit.

The Catholic Church and its representatives have directed, authorized, advised and/or been complicit in horrific physical and sexual abuse of children; subjugation, defamation and violence against women; and the deaths of millions of Indigenous people in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South America and the African continent. According to recent investigations, this abuse has continued to the present day.

For some First Nations, Inuit and Métis survivors, this papal visit to Canada that begins this weekend in Alberta is an important part of their healing journey. For others, the pope is the last person they want on their territories, as he represents a religious organization that has caused a lot of misery in the world.

In 2017, the Australian Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that from 1950 to the 1980s, 4,445 victims were sexually abused in Catholic settings, but not all victims were recorded until 1950. She found that the cover-up of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and brothers was systemic – a matter of church policy – ​​and the abusers were neither reported to the police nor deported.

Last year, an independent inquiry concluded that there had been more than 216,000 victims of sexual abuse by French Catholic clergy between 1950 and 2020. The church was found to have turned a blind eye to the abuse perpetrated by 3,000 priests and others involved in the church. The evidence showed that the church was more concerned with protecting its image than preventing the abuse from continuing. Like the situation in Australia, the church did not hold the abusers accountable. To make matters worse, in some countries these sexual predators have been left to continue the abuse.

A 2019 Associated Press investigation found nearly 1,700 priests and other clergy whom the Roman Catholic Church itself considers “credibly accused of child sexual abuse” are living under the radar. with easy access for children. The investigation revealed that these men are employed as teachers, counselors, juvenile detention officers, nurses and foster parents, or work in family shelters and even at Disney World – roles that keep them in an uncanny closeness to the children.

They easily pass fingerprint tests and/or criminal record checks (since they have never been prosecuted); unsurprisingly, many went on to commit further sexual assaults. The fact that the church has never held them accountable for child sexual abuse is bad enough, but the cover-up and failure to monitor them has put countless American children at risk.

The question must be asked here in Canada: have churches and governments created the conditions for Catholic clergy to continue to sexually abuse children?

In 2016, the federal government spent more than $1.5 million to hire 17 private investigators to identify those suspected of sexual abuse at residential schools. More than 5,300 perpetrators have been identified, but not for the purpose of criminal prosecution. Instead, they were invited to participate in compensation-related hearings, but unsurprisingly the vast majority did not accept the invitation.

Of the more than 5,000 sexual predators who abused the majority of the 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children in residential schools, a tiny fraction have ever faced criminal charges. Fewer than 50 were convicted; and of these, most have only spent months in prison. It begs the question: where are they now – and how many other children have they abused because neither churches nor law enforcement saw fit to protect children from known sex offenders?

The pomp and circumstances surrounding the pope’s visit overshadowed these important issues.

It would be wrong to assume that the legacy of residential schools is tied to past or past abuses. There were many horrific abuses in these schools, ranging from medical experimentation and torture to beatings and death. The numerous unmarked graves identified across the country are proof that the extent of the crimes is far worse than reported.

The failure to hold perpetrators to account – then and now – created an opportunity for abuse to continue into the present, just as it has happened in other countries. While not all survivors want criminal charges, some do. But the passage of time permitted by the church and the government will clearly have prejudiced their cases. If Canada had created a special prosecution team when it learned of the abuses, things might have been different – but maybe not, given the church’s change in tactics in other parts of the world. world.

Churches can now be covered by “church abuse and molestation” liability insurance, which means that any litigation or claims against the church for abuse may well have to face a team of aggressive insurance lawyers. . In some areas, the Catholic Church has adopted more aggressive litigation tactics such as hiring private investigators to dig up dirt on plaintiffs; appeal to large and powerful law firms; fight to keep documents secret; and/or bring countersuits against the parents.

In one case, the Diocese of Honolulu counterattacked a mother, claiming she failed to protect her children from abusive priests. These actions are clearly intended to deter others from taking criminal or civil action. A Roman Catholic cardinal called the church for concealing, tampering with and/or destroying documents in an attempt to cover up the sexual abuse.

In addition to the fact that the Catholic Church did not share all records related to residential schools in Canada, the federal government destroyed 15 tons of paper records related to the residential school system between 1936 and 1944. Anne are still fighting Canada in court over the release of documents detailing the abuse they suffered in Fort Albany, Ontario.

All of these actions – from the concealment of documents to the failure to prosecute sex offenders – betray the commitments made by the government and the Church to reconciliation. If either institution wants to engage in meaningful reconciliation, it must listen to survivors, families, and community leaders who have made demands that go beyond carefully crafted apologies. There have been many diverse Indigenous voices calling for substantial action in addition to an apology. I believe that all of these actions should be implemented, including but not limited to the following:

Understanding that survivors will each have their own vision of reconciliation, for many nothing less than an apology that includes an unqualified admission of the crimes committed, a full acceptance of responsibility and a commitment to end the abuse and to do full reparations will be just another empty excuse and continued injustice for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of a residential school experience. Support is available at 1-866-925-4419.

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