LETTERS
Relationship between church leaders and politicians too ‘cozy’
The Editor: I am very grateful to Joe Gunn for providing a series of
insightful articles recently on the Development and Peace (D&P) debacle
over the Harper Government’s withdrawal of funding for D&P’s
development projects in the global south and to the Prairie Messenger
for publishing them. I was, however, disappointed, although not surprised,
to see the rather defensive remarks by Bede Hubbard, assistant general
secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), in his
May 16 letter to the editor.
As someone who served for almost 19 years as director of the CCCB’s
social affairs department (1975-94), I can assure you that there have
been numerous attempts by the bishops, especially in the English sector,
to reign in D&P and control its operations as an organization of
laity in the church. So, I’m not sure whom Hubbard is trying to
fool when he declares that the new CCCB Standing Committee for D&P
is simply “. . . to facilitate communication and collaboration
between the CCCB and CCODP.”
In the wake of the Vatileaks scandal taking place in Rome these days,
perhaps it’s time that all thinking Catholics in this country ask
questions about the sometimes cozy relationship between church and political
authorities in this country. Take, for example, the photo on the CCCB
website’s home page featuring CCCB General Secretary Msgr. Patrick
Powers and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney who met shortly after the
federal election in May 2011.
It is well-known that Kenney played a key role last year in terminating
the government’s funding of KAIROS, the ecumenical social justice
arm of the churches. Is it possible that the confab between Powers and
Kenney included, among other items, a discussion about the gutting of
government funding for D&P? Or, if not, what concrete actions has
the CCCB taken recently to urge Kenney and other cabinet ministers, including
the prime minister, to restore full funding to D&P as the main Catholic
overseas development agency in Canada? — Tony Clarke, Ottawa
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