Fontaine offers olive branch to bishops

National chief wants Church to play key role in building reconciliation with First Nations

(AFN) National Chief Phil Fontaine

By DEBORAH GYAPONG
Canadian Catholic News
Cornwall, Ont.

Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Phil Fontaine made an historic plea for reconciliation with the Catholic Church while speaking to a gathering of bishops Sept. 22.

“What I want to talk about here is the future,” Fontaine told about 80 bishops attending the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (CCCB) annual plenary here.

Fontaine said he hoped the Church could use her influence and experience to help lift First Nations out of poverty, acknowledging that in the past First Nations and the Church had accomplished much good together, despite the legacy of abuse at Indian residential schools.

“I believe the Catholic Church has a significant role to play in helping us pave the way to something absolutely better,” he said.

“I wonder whether we can ever do enough to heal broken spirits,” he said, “But that is the past.”

Fontaine described Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology for Indian Residential Schools in the House of Commons last June as a “momentous occasion” and an “opportunity to fix what has been a terrible wrong.”

Big hearts needed

Reconciliation will require “big hearts, forgiveness, trust and confidence,” he said.

“For our people, reconciliation means the eradication of First Nations poverty,” Fontaine said, noting doing so would require “the support and engagement of all Canadians.”

First Nations people did not need the Catholic Church for her money, but for her influence, her experience and her commitment, he said.

“You understand us as well as anyone in this country,” he said, noting the Church knows “what is important to us and where we want to take our communities.”

“There are too many who don’t believe in us, who see us as a relic of the past, who believe we have to be transformed in order to be significant to this country,” he said. “We know that you don’t believe that.”

“My words in the past have hurt deeply,” he said, pointing to those within the Church who “have been involved for so long” in working with First Nations peoples.

“I stand here committed to working with you in rebuilding the historic relationship that brought so much good to so many people,” he said.

“Sadly the experience of many was not good,” he said. “I want to focus on what was good and learn from that success in our collective experience.”

Cherokee Nation

Fontaine spoke about a recent visit to the Cherokee Nation in the United States and the positive experience they have had with boarding schools.

“I see no reason why the Catholic Church shouldn’t be involved in the education of our people,” he said.

In a news conference afterwards, Fontaine was asked whether the Catholic Church should apologize for the abuse in residential schools. He said the prime minister “was speaking on behalf of all Canadians.”

“Our big challenge is reconciliation,” he said. “We will never achieve reconciliation until poverty is eradicated.”

First Nations peoples, he said, had noted Pope Benedict’s expressions of regret to aboriginal peoples in the United States last April and to those in Australia while in Sydney last July.

A new community

Fontaine said he hoped the pope would make a similar gesture towards Canada’s First Nations peoples.

CCCB President Winnipeg Archbishop James Weisgerber said he looked forward to working with the First Nations in creating “a new community where everyone is respected.”

He noted the importance of the upcoming Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that will start its work soon.

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