Canadian bishops’ conference distances itself from residential schools

June 05, 2015

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has responded to the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which was established in 2008 to examine the treatment of Native Americans in religious residential schools.

From 1884 to 1948, Canadian law compelled Native Americans to send their children away from home to residential schools, most of which were Catholic or Anglican institutions. The last residential school closed in 1996, and in 2009, Pope Benedict apologized for “the deplorable conduct of some members of the Church.”

“Seventeen dioceses and 37 religious institutes” were “involved in managing and helping to operate the former Indian Residential Schools which were under the jurisdiction of the Government of Canada,” the CCCB stated in a notice posted on its website.

“Neither the Catholic Bishops of Canada as a whole nor the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) was ever involved in the operations or management of the former Indian Residential Schools,” the notice added. “The CCCB is not the national office of the Catholic Church in Canada, nor does it have authority over dioceses or religious communities in the country.”

 

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Further information:

• Immediate responses to summary report by Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CCCB)
• Canadian commission calls for papal visit, apology to Native Americans (CWN, 6/3)