Globe and Mail
Published on Tuesday, Apr. 06, 2010 4:00AM EDT
Last updated on Tuesday, Apr. 06, 2010 9:21AM EDT
Bill Curry
Ottawa —
The Roman Catholic Church is balking at the release of Indian residential schools documents that name individual church members, insisting its concern is purely about respecting Canada’s privacy laws and not an attempt to cover up new allegations of abuse.
But the research director for Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission says the denominations involved in residential schools are being unco-operative, and suggests the Catholic church in particular fears more abuse stories will come out against living members.
The Conservative government and the churches that helped run Canada’s Indian residential schools are sitting on mountains of archived material, but not a single page has yet been turned over to the commission.
For years, the churches, Ottawa and representatives of former students have negotiated behind the scenes over how to release the documents while respecting Canada’s privacy laws. All the churches say they are being co-operative.
There now appears to be broad agreement that names of individual students will be released only with their permission, but it remains undecided whether the names of church members – whether dead or alive – will be revealed.
Pierre Baribeau, the lawyer who speaks on behalf of 54 Catholic entities involved in the agreement, said Catholics are the ones waiting on the commission to produce a clear policy for how documents can be released while respecting federal and provincial privacy laws.
“The TRC does not have a free fishing expedition. We are bound by the law,” he said. “The law does not allow us to deliver documents which are pertaining to individuals who are named in some documents. We’re trying to find a way to protect ourselves because the law does not allow us [to disclose], unless we have the consent of the individual… Whether they are or are not related to allegations is not the subject matter [of the discussions].”
Mr. Baribeau said regardless of how this debate ends, the commission will still receive 99 per cent of the documents it seeks from Catholic archives.
The commission’s research director, Trent University professor and historian John Milloy, described the situation far more bluntly in comments published recently in a Trent campus newspaper.
“The churches are not being co-operative at all,” he is quoted as telling the Arthur newspaper. “The Catholics are especially wary. They might say, ‘If we give you the documents, John, and they’re the diary of priest so-and-so and this opens him up to liability – because he was buggering boys in the basement and that sort of thing – and he sues us [the church], we’re in all sorts of trouble.’ ”
Reached by The Globe, Prof. Milloy confirmed making the published comments but said the example of the priest’s diaries was hypothetical. He said his main frustration is that the Catholic Church is made up of many different entities that have their own unique legal concerns. With funding from Ottawa, the Roman Catholic Church ran more than 70 per cent of the Indian residential schools, which operated from the late 1800s to the 1970s.
The United Church’s representative in these closed-door meetings, Rev. James Scott, said his church is not insisting on consent from its church members, only consent from former students named in the documents. He said he has come across concern among Catholics that retirees living in church residences will be embarrassed.
“There are former staff who live in community – brothers, sisters, priests and so on – and I know that some of the concern in the Catholic Church has been about the reputations and the kind of history related to people who are still living in community,” Mr. Scott said.
The churches’ promise to publicly disclose their private archives to the commission was considered a key victory by former students at the time of the 2007 multibillion-dollar out-of-court settlement between former students, the federal government and the churches that helped run the schools.
The suggestion that Catholic leaders are opposing the full release of documents comes as the church is in full damage control over widespread international cases of child abuse.
Representatives of the Presbyterian and Anglican churches indicated that the Protestant faiths do not share the same privacy concerns as the Catholics and blame any delay on technical issues such as whether to disclose scans or microfiche.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has a five-year mandate and is planning its first of seven national events for this June in Winnipeg. The next meeting of the parties over documents will take place in Winnipeg next week.
Henriette Thompson, the Anglican representative in these closed-door meetings, insisted the negotiations over documents are approaching a conclusion.
“There are some differences,” she said. “I’d say there’s a high degree of consensus among the Protestant churches.”
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Editor’s note An earlier version of this article included an incorrect date for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s first event. This version has been corrected.
When someone dies in Canada, a death certificate has to be filled out by a doctor, does it not. where are all the death certificates of the native kids who died. This ia total conspiracy by the “government of canada, the “church’s” and their child molesting controllers. You can also add the “media” for not reporting the deaths of these kids. Ask yourself who owns all media outlets, and you have the answer as who the controllers sre.
Leading dutch newspapers addressed exactly this issue (archives needed for the Deetman Investigation). I can translate newscoverage in anyone has a keen interest – just indicate in reply.
Church records of cleric sexual abuse HAD been destroyed. Those who had knowledge of and (or) had witnessed the destruction of documents pertaining to cleric sexual abuse ALSO contacted the commission. A church archivist and others came forward. All details regarding the documents destroyed as well as by whom, for whom (who was the senior official involved) and all conversations surrounding this action are now documented. Destruction of documents does not end the dialogue. It just makes the cover-up more evident.
The reluctance to release documents is Canada is not exactly the same circumstances but it is interesting to note a similar struggle taking place outside Canada.
Who owns all media outlets?
I for one would love to see the information posted on the site 1yellowknife – would greatly appreciate it. I think we all benefit from an understanding of what is and has been happening around the world to come to terms with what is and has been going on in our own backyard.
Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands – Bishop Emeritus Bluyssen promised to cooperate fully with the Dutch Cleric Abuse In the Roman Catholic Church investigation by former Minister Deetman (aka Commission-Deetman). However, Saturday it was disclosed that Bluyssen destroyed important records.
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In the 1970s, former bishop Bluyssen handled a number of high-profile cases and the destruction of these documents resulted in the loss of useful information about sexual abuse in the Dutch RC Church (which occurred in this region). This was revealed in a Saturday article in NRC Handelsblad.
Also an archive of the 1990’s with incriminating information has disappeared. How many files this pertains to is not clear. The information was stored in secret archives of the Diocese of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Former diocesan archivist J. Peijnenburg told NRC Handelsblad that successive records for decades of sexual abuse in the church have been destroyed. Historian Eric Thelosen states that the Deetman Commission was informed by him regarding this matter in September, 2010.
The Diocese of ‘s-Hertogenbosch pledged Saturday to cooperate in the investigation. Bluyssen initially refused to provide further information
Bluyssen says that he discarded the records because “there are few interesting” to say “It was over, things were finished. I did not consider that there would a question about destroying files. “The NRC Handelsblad said that he was not prepared to speak with Deetman about the case. “I will not comment on (respond to) such a request. I remember very little. “Bluyssen was bishop of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, between 1966 and 1983.
Later that day Bluyssen and the Diocese of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, however, still stated they wished to cooperate. The (Dutch) Roman Catholic Church announced Saturday that summaries of the destroyed documents or summaries have been retained and will be provided to the Deetman Commission.
Saturday the commission-Deetman confirmed that a formal statement was received regarding missing records within the diocese. The statement is being addressed in the investigation.
According to a spokesman for the inquiry, work will start “soon” on archival research in dioceses, congregations and orders. “The committee anticipates that the church will cooperate fully with the investigation,” said the spokesman. “The complete final report of the committee will be publically disclosed. Findings related to lost files but also the statements on this will also be publicly available. “The final report is expected in November next year.
The inquiry will interview all those who are and were ultimately responsible. Former church administrators, including the 84-year-old bishop Bluyssen, are therefore not bypassed or omitted in this process and will be heard from. “The investigation starts with the year 1945, until now” said the spokesman. “This pertains to all who were responsible within the dioceses, religious orders and congregations.”
Thanks 1yellowknife.
Bluyysen said he discarded the records because there was little of interest. Does anyone really believe that?
From the responses I read online, I get a sense of deep disappointment with Bluyssens. I think the archivist and historian are showing the way; reporting the destruction of cleric sexual abuse files as well as everything and everyone associated with this act to the Deetman Commission. Hup Holland Hup
Sylvia: Thank you for posting residential school photos from Northern Canada. Your site has single handedly brought residential school issues from the isolated north to mainstream attention. When we first emailed some months ago – the Grollier Hall Residential School trials and other similar abuses in Northern Canada were unknown even to you. Thank you for caring and giving a voice and a visual image to this enduring trauma for northern Canadians.
When I saw the Fort Resolution residential school archival photo, I had just concluded a conversation with a lay reader at the RC church in Fort Resolution. I was asked for prayers; many in this community remain so troubled and affected by this history of abuses. Thanks again.