I am posting this in this section (Child Abuse) because of the impact the Catholic Church has on what transpires in the religio-socio-legal realm that the JWs are also embroiled in, concerning institutional abuses.
The Catholic Church is not willing to apologize for their role in the horrific abuses that occurred in Canada in the Residential School system for the Canadian Indigenous population.
For anyone who is interested in background on this dark chapter of Canadian history, the Truth and Reconciliation report is available here - it is a hefty volume that is very difficult to read and it is the result of a Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.
The Pope has refused to offer an apology and it has become a controversial subject in Canadian politics:
'No government tells the Pope what to say': Priest defends lack of apology for residential schools
A Canadian priest is defending Pope Francis' decision not to apologize to Indigenous people in Canada for the role the Catholic Church played in the residential school system.
About 150,000 First Nation, Inuit and Métis children were taken from their parents by law and forced to attend church-run residential schools. At least 6,000 children died at the schools from disease, mishaps and abuse, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
A papal apology was one of the 94 recommendations made by the TRC. During a visit to the Vatican last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau personally asked the Pope to consider such a gesture.
A letter released Tuesday by Lionel Gendron, the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, says Pope Francis "felt that he could not personally respond" to the TRC request.
*read rest of article at link
This article quotes Murray Sinclair, the senator who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission:
Pope's decision to not issue apology 'a slap in the face,' residential school survivor says
Winnipeg Archbishop Richard...Gagnon said the Pope is aware of the TRC and its recommendations, and has expressed sorrow for injustices suffered by Indigenous people around the world. Gagnon also pointed out that Pope Benedict XVI expressed sorrow for the treatment of Canada's Indigenous people in a meeting with former Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine.
Senator Murray Sinclair, who led the TRC, said that expression of sorrow was not enough.
"It's like the driver of a car saying, 'I'm sorry that you got hurt when I ran you down, but I'm not responsible for the fact that the car ran you down," he said.
There is no excuse for not apologizing, Sinclair said, adding he suspects their reluctance to do so might be because of ongoing litigation in Canada and elsewhere.
"Also I believe there is a strong element within the church leadership that residential school survivors are not telling the truth," he said.
Many survivors have said that they need an apology in order to heal, Sinclair said, and refusing to issue one threatens to widen schisms within Indigenous communities between Christian and non-Christian people.
About 72 per cent of residential schools included in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement were Catholic schools, Sinclair said.
"The Anglican Church has apologized, the United Church has issued an apology, the Presbyterians have issued an apology. But we've heard nothing of that sort from the Catholics," he said.
*full article at link
The Canadian government has responded:
MPs vote overwhelmingly to call on Pope to apologize for church's role in residential schools
By a vote of 269 to 10, MPs backed a motion today to invite Pope Francis to Canada so that he can apologize in person for the Roman Catholic Church's role in the Indian residential school system.
...
The motion, introduced by NDP MP Charlie Angus, also calls on the church to respect its "moral obligations" and the "spirit" of the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, which included a pledge by the church to raise funds for survivors.
The church has never fulfilled its commitment to raise $25 million for residential school survivor healing programs.
The motion also calls on the church to hand over "relevant documents" it may have in its possession that disclose the horrors of the residential school system. Those documents could be made available upon request to survivors of the schools, their families or scholars.
I have a couple photos and some more comments that I will post next...