Archdiocese apologizes after priest accuses residential school survivors of lying
A Winnipeg archdiocese will no longer allow a Catholic priest to preach publicly or teach after he suggested during a sermon that residential school survivors lied to get settlement money.
"His words have deeply, deeply hurt people," said Archbishop Albert LeGatt in a video posted on the Archdiocese of Saint Boniface's social media Thursday.
"I completely disavow his words."
The priest, Rheal Forest, made the comments during a handful of masses at St. Emile Catholic Church in Winnipeg earlier this month. Forest was filling in for the parish's regular priest.
During one service, Forest said he worked in the north for 22 years and believes students enjoyed their time at residential schools. He also suggested survivors claimed they were victims of sexual abuse to get settlement money.
"If they wanted extra money, for the money that was given to them, they had to lie sometimes," Forest told parishioners.
"Lie that they were abused sexually and, oop, another $50,000. It's kind of hard if you are poor not to lie."
The services were broadcast on social media through the church's Facebook page. CBC News captured the videos before they were deleted earlier this week.
Forest also said if students were abused, it wasn't by priests. He suggested it was by night watchmen.
Forest also claimed that the media is evil and run by freemasons.
LeGatt said he is sorry for pain the priest's remarks caused to Indigenous people, particularly residential school survivors.
"I and, I hope, more and more people will come to that place of completely disavowing that kind of thinking ... that kind of racism," the archbishop said.
LeGatt asked for forgiveness and said the diocese, especially church leadership, has a responsibility to understand the truth of what happened at residential schools. He called on all Catholics to join him on the journey of reconciliation.
The priest's comments come as the country has been forced to face its history with Indigenous people. In recent months, unmarked graves have been located at the sites of numerous former residential schools across the country.
An estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis children were forced to attend residential schools.
Survivors told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission stories of abuse they endured while staying at the schools, including instances of starvation and harsh discipline. Nearly 38,000 claims of sexual and serious physical abuse were submitted as part of the independent assessment process of the residential school settlement agreement.
At the time of the commission's final report, more than 40 former residential school staff members were convicted for abuse.
Mounties in Manitoba said earlier this week that officers there have been investigating abuse allegations at Fort Alexander Residential School, northeast of Winnipeg, for more than a decade. No charges have been laid.
'CANADA HAS LIVED IN DENIAL'
Southern Chiefs’ Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels says these comments prove that the church is still not paying attention to how devastating residential schools were.
"We're finding bodies in the residential schools that were managed by the Catholic Church," said Daniels.
He said the facts speak for themselves and he is appalled someone within the church would try to downplay the seriousness of these schools.
"You have to have a church who is willing to come to grips with the truth of what happened and their role in that and not defending themselves or trying to protect themselves from this."
Daniels said the church needs to help with reconciliation efforts, adding it's not Indigenous peoples' jobs to educate the Catholic community and instead, they need to keep up with what actually happened.
The Grand Chief said he isn't surprised by the comments because "Canada has lived in denial."
"People just need to understand how deeply impactful the residential experience was and what kind of imprint it has left on the minds and on the hearts of the survivors and their families."
- With files from CTV's Devon McKendrick.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.