Way too little too late
The pope “apologized” about the residential schools, but not really. (“About” rather than “for” is deliberate.)
Pope Francis made a public statement today to the delegations of Indigenous people who met with him this week to discuss personal experiences in residential schools or their harmful legacies.
His statement included the words “I am very sorry,” and is being reported as an apology for residential schools.
Journalism is so deferential to the popes. Why is that? The Vatican is a religious version of the Mafia; it’s not something to defer to.
There are several kinds of wrongs associated with residential schools. There were abusive and often criminal actions by individuals who worked in these institutions. Those in authority covered up abuses and failed to protect children. And the residential school system advanced an assimilationist policy.
Individual criminal responsibility and general institutional responsibility may also overlap. The many unmarked graves and unheeded calls to address deathly conditions in the schools speak to the wrongs and traumatic legacies of these institutions.
Pope Francis most clearly addressed the abusive actions by individuals — the “deplorable conduct” of “a number of Catholics” — about which he expressed sorrow and shame. He also acknowledged the painful experiences of those who shared their stories with him.
The Pope did not acknowledge that the church as an institution embraced assimilationist policy in its decision to run the schools.
And that’s the most important bit. The nuns who ran Goldenbridge were horrible to the children locked up there, but it matters far more that the church supported and administered the entire system of imprisonment and punishment of children.
As is unfortunately common in many church apology statements, when those who utter the apology use the passive voice, it’s unclear who was the agent of the actions in question.
Pope Francis spoke about “a colonization that lacked respect for you,” and acknowledged that “great harm was done to your identity and your culture.” But who was responsible? He spoke about “attempts to impose a uniformity” to which “great numbers of children fell victim” that were based on “programs devised in offices.” But which offices?
The Pope positions the church as being on the side of outrage and sorrow for this colonization — “sadly, this colonial mentality remains widespread” — and as a partner in overcoming it, rather than as an active agent of its perpetration.
Very active indeed.
Of course, if they accept liability, they could be in a position where they might be admitting guilt. That could be costly if any of the former residents or surviving families were to sue.
“The Vatican is a religious version of the Mafia”
I beg to differ – the Vatican is actually an evolutionary line that diverged from the Roman Empire the way birds did from dinosaurs.
Well, yes, institutionally. But all three have a lot in common.
I’m sure that the Vatican’s consigliere made it clear exactly what terms and phrasings the pope was to use, and those he must never say.
The Catholic black brotherhood in Australia has legally insulated itself against prosecution for child molestation, buse etc, by incorporating itself in such a way that there is effectively no entity that can be sued: along the lines as I understand it of a series of companies in which Company A is a wholly-owned subsidiray of Company B which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Company C, which is a wholly-owned subsidiray of Company A; leaving no way in for a civil prosecution.
Otherwise, they would have the pants, frocks, vestments, mitres and other holy regalia sued off the lot of them.
Oh have they now. Almost looks like consciousness of guilt.
OB @# 6: Yes. Those who claim to be holy had best be seen to be holy. Recommended reading:Russell Chamberlin, The Bad Popes
https://www.amazon.com.au/Bad-Popes-RUSSELL-CHAMBERLIN/dp/0750933372
Also: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/04/cardinal-george-pell-news-organisations-contempt-court-fined-more-than-1m-over-reporting-of-sexual-abuse-verdict
Omar, another good one is Nuns Behaving Badly by Craig Monson. It’s quite revealing, because the data are all taken from Vatican records, and you can see just what the Vatican thinks is bad behavior in a nun (or really, any woman) and how they kept them away from all society. Okay, there were a couple who actually did behave badly by most standards, such as the ones who burned down their convent, but one might suspect even then that they had good reason.