The Residential Schools: were they schools?

 

"Residential schools (in Canada) did not arise from a well-meant initiative run amok. Even the most basic research reveals the destructive intent at the foundation of their design and implementation. They were not schools. They were institutions akin to the re-education centres of the Cultural Revolution in China and its current re-programming camps where ethnic Uyghurs are detained."

    - Michelle Good in "Truth Telling"

This truth needs to be repeated insistently until reconciliation moves beyond hand-wringing words - to action - specifically the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada issued 94 Calls to Action, several of which are directed specifically to the Catholic Church. Here are the key ones that apply to the Catholic Church:

1. Call to Action 58: The TRC calls upon the Pope to issue an apology to Survivors, their families, and communities for the Roman Catholic Church's role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools.

- Pope Francis came to Canada in the summer of 2022 and gave an apology. Some feel that it was just an apology for what "some" Catholics did historically, not an apology for what the Catholic Church did in facilitating and promoting colonial hegemony. Still, it was a well-intentioned start that was accepted by some Indigenous leaders.

2. Call to Action 59: This call asks church parties to the Settlement Agreement to develop ongoing education strategies to ensure that their congregations learn about their church's role in colonization, the history and legacy of residential schools, and why apologies to former residential school students, their families, and communities were necessary.

- There has been no effective action on this whatsoever. At the very least there could be an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement before Sunday mass in every parish church in every diocese in Canada. 

3. Call to Action 60: The TRC calls upon leaders of the church parties to the Settlement Agreement and all other faiths, in collaboration with Indigenous spiritual leaders, Survivors, schools of theology, seminaries, and other religious training centers, to develop and teach curriculum for all student clergy, and all clergy and staff who work in Aboriginal communities, on the need to respect Indigenous spirituality in its own right, the history and legacy of residential schools, and the roles of the church parties in that system.

- Very few priests and deacons would appear to have even heard of the Doctrine of Discovery, even young priests fresh out of seminary. Catholic priests are largely ignorant of Indigenous spirituality, the history and legacy of residential schools, and the roles of the church parties in that system. On the contrary, much of what we hear is more defensive in nature or, at best, verbal hand-wringing devoid of acknowledging actual historical facts with present-day repercussions.

4. Call to Action 61: This call asks church parties to the Settlement Agreement, in collaboration with Survivors and representatives of Aboriginal organizations, to establish permanent funding to Aboriginal people for community-controlled healing and reconciliation projects.

- There has been some movement here in many dioceses, dependent upon donations to the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund. Most Catholics in the pew view their donations to this fund as charity, or in the same category as funds needed to pay victims of clergy sexual abuse.

These Calls to Action aim to address the historical injustices, and promote healing and reconciliation between the Catholic Church and Indigenous communities in Canada. It's time for a lot more concrete and effective action in response to the calls of the TRC made way back on the 15th December 2015.

Cancer: Battle or Journey?

 

Photo credit: https://www.swiftyfoundation.org/cancer-is-a-journey-not-a-battle/

I asked the same question of three different free versions of AI: Meta, Copilot and Gemini:

People talk of their battle with cancer, and winning or losing the battle. What is the downside of that metaphor, and what is a better way of speaking about cancer?

They all gave very similar answers. Meta's answer was the most nuanced and 'sensitive', if one can speak of AI in that way:

The "battle" metaphor for cancer can have several downsides:

1. Guilt and shame: When someone "loses" their battle with cancer, it can imply that they didn't fight hard enough or didn't have the right attitude. This can lead to feelings of guilt and shame for the individual and their loved ones.

2. Unrealistic expectations: The battle metaphor can create unrealistic expectations about the outcome of cancer treatment. It implies that cancer is a war that can be won or lost, rather than a complex and unpredictable disease.

3. Overemphasis on individual responsibility: The battle metaphor places a strong emphasis on individual responsibility and personal strength. This can overlook the role of systemic factors, such as access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, and environmental factors, in cancer outcomes.

4. Stigma and blame: The battle metaphor can perpetuate stigma and blame around cancer. For example, someone who "loses" their battle with cancer might be seen as somehow flawed or weak.

Here is Meta AI's suggestion for better ways to talk about dealing with cancer:

A better way of speaking about cancer might be to use more nuanced and compassionate language. Here are some alternatives:

1. Journey or path: Instead of a battle, cancer can be described as a journey or path that individuals navigate with the support of their loved ones, healthcare providers, and community.

2. Living with cancer: This phrase acknowledges that cancer is a chronic condition that requires ongoing management and care.

3. Cancer experience: This term encompasses the physical, emotional, and social aspects of living with cancer, without implying a specific outcome.

4. Resilience and adaptation: Instead of focusing on "winning" or "losing," we can emphasize the resilience and adaptability of individuals living with cancer.

By using more thoughtful and compassionate language, we can work to reduce stigma, promote empathy, and support individuals affected by cancer.

Impressive as artificial intelligence might be on the subject, it doesn't hold a candle to this blog post on the topic that I found written by Patti Gustafson: Cancer is a Journey, Not a Battle. Please read it; it is about the same length as this post is to this point. You will understand why she concludes:

I would invite us to ask ourselves, what other ways we can talk about living with cancer that are loving, encouraging and invite patients to stay engaged with life and hope for the future? In this way we help give cancer patients a perspective that is beyond simply winning or losing.

So will you please join me in changing the way we speak about cancer and the people going through it? Can we agree it is a journey, not a battle or a fight? Can we agree no matter the outcome, all cancer patients deserve the best care, the best research, more funding, as well as our prayers and support?

Sending Thoughts and Prayers

 

Immigrant children in a cage.
Image credit: Washington Post

For the last 12 or 18 months I have had the kind of feeling you get when someone or something vital is missing - this with regard to the United States. Today it feels like a corpus delicti has been trotted out in some kind of cruel, twisted triumph. No emoji can express how I feel.

I believe history will show that today is a huge indictment on American Christians, including, perhaps especially, Catholics. I feel betrayed by Catholic leadership, ashamed of this family.

Isn't it time to ordain women to the diaconate?

 

Image credit: National Catholic Reporter

Franciscan Fr. Daniel P. Horan is the director of the Center for the Study of Spirituality, and professor of philosophy, religious studies and theology at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Under the headline, "Enough already. It is time to ordain women to the diaconate" he writes in National Catholic Reporter:

At the risk of stating the obvious, it is clear that the Roman Catholic Church (or at least many of those entrusted with the highest levels of leadership) has a serious problem with women. Pope Francis has made great strides in some aspects of extending invitations for greater involvement by and representation of women in some aspects of church leadership, including the appointment of several women to significant posts in Vatican dicasteries and expanding voting rights at the synod to all participants, which includes lay and religious women. 

But the way the pope often speaks about women in abstract ways doesn't sound much different from Pope John Paul II's "separate but equal" complementarianism, which argued for keeping women in "traditional" familial and ecclesial roles and praising their "genius." A decade ago, journalist David Gibson compiled a list of seven examples of Francis talking about women in what the kids might call "cringy" ways. And these came just from the first year of his pontificate.

You can read the full article in National Catholic Reporter here.

Season of Creation