Lifesite News reports the vandalism comes after controversial claims about unmarked graves at former Indian Residential School sites.

The cabinet's report, released on 19 September, attributes a significant rise in these incidents to unproven allegations that hundreds of children were buried at these schools, specifically the Kamloops school in British Columbia.

Despite initial reports in 2021 that ground-penetrating radar had uncovered human remains, no actual remains have been discovered.

Rise in church attacks

The number of incidents at places of worship skyrocketed following the 2021 claims.

Police-reported data shows 423 incidents since 2015, with 90 attacks recorded in 2021 alone.

This represents a stark increase from the previous average of 13 similar attacks annually before 2015.

"This includes incidents that occurred on the surrounding property such as an attached cemetery or adjacent parking lot or inside a religious institution" the cabinet stated in response to an inquiry by Conservative MP Marc Dalton who had requested statistics on the burning of places of worship.

Government and media response

Opposition members have criticised the Trudeau government's response to the wave of church attacks.

In 2021, Trudeau acknowledged the vandalism only weeks after the attacks had begun, stating that while such actions were "understandable" they remained "unacceptable and wrong".

Critics, including Conservative MPs, have accused the government and mainstream media of sympathising with those responsible for the attacks.

A Canadian Broadcasting Corporation report highlighted the emotional response of some individuals to the residential school claims which opponents argue contributed to the rise in violence against churches.

Controversy over school claims

The allegations that sparked the rise in church attacks originated from discoveries at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, where radar technology detected soil disturbances initially believed to indicate unmarked graves.

However, no remains have been found, reports Lifesite News.

Residential schools, which operated from the late 19th century until 1996, were mandated by the Canadian federal government and managed by various Christian organisations including the Catholic Church.

Source

• Lifesite News
• CathNews NZ

"I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples," the pope said. Canada's own government has previously expressed its regret.

Francis was in Canada to apologize, not to preach — which may be why he said relatively little about that country's legalization of euthanasia in 2016.

Rebranded as "medical assistance in dying," or MAID, the formerly taboo practice is now hailed in Canada as both humane medical care and essential to patient autonomy. It enjoys strong support in opinion polls and the full backing of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's federal government.

Still, Francis's church is doctrinally opposed to euthanasia, and he has personally condemned it, so the pope did allude, in one of his public addresses, to "patients who, in place of affection, are administered death."

He could, and should, have said more. Even before Francis's visit, there was evidence euthanasia has problems.

Between 2016 and 2021, Canadian medical personnel administered lethal doses to more than 31,000 people who were usually — but not always — terminally ill.

Since 2019, Canadian law has said that "intolerable" suffering due to "incurable" illness, which could include various chronic disabling conditions, may be sufficient to qualify for a lethal injection.

These permissive standards may be resulting in avoidable death or distress for vulnerable people, and disability rights advocates are expressing concern, as Maria Cheng of the Associated Press reported Aug. 11.

She told the story of 61-year-old Alan Nichols, who requested — and received — euthanasia less than a month after entering a British Columbia hospital in June 2019, suffering from suicidal thoughts, dehydration and malnutrition.

The decision was apparently based on a medical history that included serious but typically non-life-threatening conditions such as depression and hearing loss.

His grief-stricken family has sought explanations as to how doctors could have found their loved one competent to "choose" death much less needful of it.

"Somebody needs to take responsibility so that it never happens to another family," Trish Nichols, Alan's sister-in-law, told Cheng.

The family's inquiries to provincial and federal authorities have so far produced only officials' insistence that Alan met the criteria for physician-assisted death.

Cheng described the case of a man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, who felt driven to seek euthanasia because British Columbia officials would not provide him adequate support to live at home.

In a case separately reported by Canadian media this year, a 31-year-old Toronto woman with a disability sought and received approval for euthanasia after what she said was a futile search for safe housing — only to decide to continue living after private parties helped her find an appropriate dwelling.

While the details of these and other instances are difficult for outsiders to parse, and while it is true, as Canadian officials told Cheng, that 65 percent of euthanasia procedures have been performed on cancer patients, the issue's very murkiness and subjectivity is a warning sign.

In this context, any mistake could be irreversible.

Cheng reports that, as compared with the other six countries where euthanasia is legal, Canada's margin for error may be wider.

Canadian patients are not required to exhaust all treatment options before seeking MAID. Canada allows nurse practitioners as well as doctors to end patients' lives.

Another warning sign: Last year, a top United Nations disability rights official wrote to Trudeau advising him that legalizing euthanasia for the non-terminally ill creates an implied negative judgment on "the value or quality of life of persons with disabilities." Continue reading

"We offer our condolences, but we know that this is not enough, and our words must move to concrete action," the bishops said in a joint statement.

Leaders of a First Nation in Saskatchewan said investigators found 751 unmarked graves at Marieval Indian Residential School.

This followed the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children in Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Colombia. Kamloops was run by Catholics from 1890 until 1969.

Chief Cadmusn Delmore of the Cowessess First Nation made the announcement at a press conference.

Cadmusn noted that the Catholic church had been operating the residential school and overseeing its cemetery. The church had removed the headstones, he said.

"This was a crime against humanity, an assault on First Nations," said Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous First Nations in Saskatchewan.

Cameron added that he expects more graves to be discovered on residential school grounds across Canada.

"We will not stop until we find all the bodies," Cameron concluded.

The Marieval school was run by Catholics from 1899 until 1969. The government took control of the school in 1969 who then handed it over to the Cowessess First Nation in 1987. The school was closed in 1997.

Archbishop Richard Gagnon of Winnipeg, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the discovery "very sad and disturbing" in a tweet.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the discovery "horrific". He icommitted "to working together in true partnership to right these historic wrongs. And to advance reconciliation in concrete, meaningful, and lasting ways."

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission operated between 2008 and 2015. It reported on the history of the country's residential school system, including the widespread abuse, neglect, and poor treatment of Indigenous children.

The federal government created the residential school system beginning in the 1870s. Catholics and members of Protestant denominations oversaw the schools.

The system was created to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children, the commission reported. It separated the children from their parents to strip them of family and cultural ties.

The commission found that at least 4,100 children died from "disease or accident" at the schools.

A government directive from 1958 showed that the Indian Affairs department "was prepared to authorize only minimum funeral expenditures. They would only pay for transporting students to their home reserves if the cost of transportation was less than the cost of burying the student where they died," noted Dr Scott Hamilton, a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Lakehead University.

"The most basic of questions about missing children—Who died? Why did they die? Where are they buried? These have never been addressed or comprehensively documented by the Canadian government," Bishop Fred Henry said, quoting the commission's report.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Complex Canada

In an open letter to the prime minister, Henry, who presided over southern Alberta Catholics from 1998 to 2017, accused Trudeau of deflecting blame for the deaths and misery of Indigenous residents at the schools by voicing his "disappointment" over the church's failure to formally apologise for its role.

"While acknowledging our own sorrow and guilt, and trying to own our sinfulness in the participation in residential schools, it is important to note the wording in our statement, especially the words, 'participation in government policies,'" wrote Henry in the letter dated June 7.

He went on to say the schools, some of which were also operated by other Christian denominations between 1831 and 1996, were often starved of resources by the federal government.

This lead to tragic outcomes, including the deaths of thousands of children, many of whom were buried in unmarked graves.

Cardinal Thomas Collins, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto, said comments made by Trudeau were "unfair."

"I think it's much more helpful, as we're all working on this long journey of reconciliation to work together, and not to be making these kinds of unfair attacks upon those who are trying their best to bring about and to work with all the Indigenous people for reconciliation," the archbishop said.

Henry's message was sparked by the backlash over the recent discovery through the ground-penetrating radar of the remains of 215 children buried in unmarked graves at a former residential school site in Kamloops, British Columbia.

In the letter, Henry quotes the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

It highlighted Ottawa's culpability in the national disgrace of the residential schools that forced 150,000 First Nations children from their homes.

"The federal government never established an adequate set of standards and regulations to guarantee the health and safety of residential school students. This failure occurred even though the government had the authority to establish those standards," Henry quoted the report.

"The failure to establish and enforce adequate standards, coupled with the failure to adequately fund the schools, resulted in unnecessarily high residential school death rates."

The neglect included malnutrition, improper clothing, poor sanitary conditions and ventilation that led to many deaths by tuberculosis, states the report.

Henry noted the document states Ottawa's failure to provide disciplinary standards contributed to the harsh treatment of students. This included sexual abuse and physical assault.

In concluding his letter, Henry stated, "We have a right to less pompous posturing and more forthright action on the part of (the) federal government."

But, he admitted the moral failures of spiritual leaders at the schools can't be brushed off.

"We didn't show enough respect to the native peoples in their beliefs and culture," said Henry.

A survivor of a Catholic-run northern Alberta residential school said the church's guilt in the severity of how they were directly run can't be overlooked or shuffled elsewhere.

"I hold the government responsible and the religious denominations responsible because (the churches) had the boots on the ground," said Cora Voyageur, a sociology professor at the University of Calgary.

"The churches could have said, 'We don't want any part of it,' but they never did. There was an idea from the churches of religious and spiritual supremacy. They were in the community — the government wasn't."

A recent poll suggests two-thirds of Canadians believe churches were responsible for the tragedies of the residential schools. The poll indicated about half of the respondents blamed the federal government.

Henry said that kind of mindset combined with Trudeau's comments are frustratingly misinformed and galvanised him to speak out.

Henry has yet to receive a response from the prime minister's office.

Sources

Calgary Herald

CTV News

The Province

This was announced by Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau, who is a Catholic.

Federal elections for the Ottawa House of Commons are scheduled for next year.

Mr Trudeau described the new rule as part of a screening process that includes questions on abortion and same-sex marriage.

"We make sure that the people who are stepping forward are consistent with the Liberal Party as it is now, as it stands under my leadership and under the feedback we're getting from Canadians across the country."

The new rules do not apply to sitting pro-life members who are seeking re-election.

"The party that we're building, and that we're continuing to build as we form government, will be resolutely pro-choice," Mr Trudeau told reporters.

"I have made it clear that future candidates need to be completely understanding that they will be expected to vote pro-choice on any bills."

Mr Trudeau said he did not want the abortion debate re-opened and current pro-life MPs should not try to do so.

"For me, it's a debate that has been settled for the vast majority of Canadians and we don't need to reopen that issue," he said.

This new "bottom line", as Mr Trudeau called it, goes a step farther than the past Liberal policy on abortion.

This allowed all MPs a free vote on this issue and other matters of conscience, such as same-sex marriage.

Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton reacted to the Trudeau announcement with anger.

"Here we have a man who would like to be Prime Minister some day, dictating to party members that they must vote against fundamental human rights," he said.

The abortion declaration threatens to shine a spotlight on Mr Trudeau's vow of open nomination contests for candidates.

At issue is whether the Liberal Party is open only to those candidates who meet the leader's approval.

Mr Trudeau, son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, took over as leader of the Liberals a year ago.

Sources

• The Tablet
• The Star
• Image: CBC