Fr. Raymond J. de Souza: The truth about the Church’s obligation to aboriginals – National Post
May 9, 2016
There are several untruths circulating which will undermine the hard work of reconciliation done these last many years on the issue of aboriginal residential schools.
Media reports in recent weeks have accused the Catholic Church escaping its financial obligations toward the global residential schools settlement due to a legal error by a bureaucrat in the federal government. The federal minister of aboriginal affairs has lent support to this view in her public comments. So did the Church “weasel out” of its obligations? The answer is no, but it’s a complicated tale.
There is no legal entity that is the Catholic Church in Canada, but rather a collection of legally independent dioceses, religious orders, hospitals, educational and social service institutions.
