Pope Francis celebrates a Holy Mass for the community of Rome's Myanmar faithful, at St. Peter's Basilica in The Vatican on May 16, 2021.REMO CASILLI/AFP/Getty Images
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NO MEA CULPA?
Re The Catholic Church Opts For Obfuscation (Opinion, June 10): I was raised a Catholic by devout, loving and totally sensible parents and spent nine years in a Catholic monastic community whose monks were wonderful role models for the Christian ideal to love all of creation, as my parents had taught and exemplified. Bad enough that many Catholic priests, nuns and brothers entrusted with the care of young people at residential schools brutalized them. Now the hierarchy of the One Bread, One Body (supposedly) Church in Canada continues to hide behind its decentralized legal structure to avoid the legal consequences of decades of abuse that occurred in residential schools. While Cardinal Thomas Collins, the Archbishop of Toronto, is correct that the “day-to-day, quiet, gentle work” of reconciliation must continue, the Catholic Church in Canada cannot claim adherence to the first and overriding commandment of Christ, to love “your neighbour as you love yourself” until it publicly admits responsibility with an apology from the Pope and accepts whatever legal consequences follow.
Jacques Soucie, Newmarket, Ont.
No one and no institution should be above the law, including the Catholic Church. They have still only paid a small fraction of the reparations owed from the last court ruling, yet we continue to exempt the church from taxation and, in Ontario, taxpayers fund a Catholic school system. These concessions should both be withheld at least until the church’s obligations to Canada’s Indigenous population have been met.
Neville Taylor, Toronto
Re Pope Expresses Sorrow Over B.C. Graves But Stops Short Of Apology (June 7): I was interested to read that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops sees each diocese of the Church in Canada as separately “responsible for its own actions.” By implication, they are autonomous entities not associated with the church as a whole.
I wonder how long the church hierarchy would respect this autonomy if one diocese were to start ordaining women as priests.
Conrad Sichler, Hamilton
The Pope has finally spoken about the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the residential school in Kamloops. His acknowledgment of the suffering of the Indigenous community is a step in the right direction. I was, however, horrified by his mention that the souls of the young children should rest with God – his God. Those children were ripped from their parents, community and beliefs to be indoctrinated into the Catholic faith. Now, even in death, they are having the religion forced upon them.
Kathleen Hanna, Picton, Ont.
May I suggest that our elected representatives put as much energy into equitably settling the unending land treaty court battles and providing potable water for reserves that have required it for generations instead of wasting more time and energy trying to force apologies out of the Pope. After all, the residential school idea did not originate with the churches.
Bill Bousada, Carleton Place, Ont.
CONNECTING WITH INDIA
Re Healing Together (Opinion, June 5): In Rita Trichur’s article about the COVID-19 crisis in India and Canada, her personal stories were touching and it was impressive how she provided a broader perspective as well, with a constructive, balanced tone.
As a Hindu Indo-Canadian, I am very disappointed with some comments I have seen below The Globe and Mail’s recent articles on India. Many comments were condescending toward India and some even made Hinduphobic remarks. Such hubris and ignorance at least partly reflect how poor and slanted coverage of India often is in the Western media.
India is a massive, diverse, postcolonial country that is home to more than a sixth of the global population. The country has its flaws but is the world’s largest electoral democracy that embraces modern values unlike most other countries in the region. It is the world’s largest humanitarian project and deserves more respect, attention and support than it gets. The Western media too often paint India with broad brush strokes and reduce complex issues to a simplistic, one-sided narrative.
Aswani Pulipaka, Oakville, Ont.
Thank you for Rita Trichur’s secondment from business reporting to write about the pandemic experience of 1.4 million Canadians of Indian ancestry. The harsh realities are vivid in her poignant narrative of individual stories and the systemic context. Her compassion, humanity and ethical values shine through as always. It helps us all that she can point to practical action and have hope for “better collaboration … and a collective opportunity to heal.”
Tom Sherwood, Ottawa
WOMEN IN ACADEMIA
Re Locked Out Of The Ivory Tower: How Universities Keep Women from Rising to the Top (June 5): Thank you for this timely and insightful exposé on the ways in which universities in Canada continue to shut women out – particularly at the senior ranks and in administrative roles. When I was first hired as a tenure-track university professor in 1999, I was told that because I had held a prestigious and relatively rare Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada postdoctoral fellowship, I would not receive a boost in salary. I eventually fought my employer and won a salary increase that has made a serious difference in my overall career earnings. But I never received an explanation. This kind of thing did not occur in the case of male colleagues hired at that time. Your article demonstrates that very little has changed.
Jennifer Andrews, professor at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton
The evidence presented in this article shows the exact opposite of its central conclusions and what is asserted in its title.
In every academic position and salary level, the share of women has increased dramatically over the past 15 to 20 years. Female full professors have risen from 9 per cent of the total in that category in 1999 to 31 per cent in 2019. Female assistant professors have increased from 29 per cent of total in 2004 to 46 per cent in 2019. In terms of salaries, women’s shares in every “salary band” or decile have been rising steadily. This indicates that new hiring is approaching and may have surpassed 50:50. It takes time for newly hired professors to move up the ranks to associate and full professorships and senior administrative positions. The evidence shows that this has been happening quickly.
Far from women being “locked out,” female professors are increasingly being hired and promoted at a surprisingly rapid rate.
Arch Ritter, professor at Carleton University Ottawa
WINNING AND LOSING
Re Former Habs Weigh In On What It Takes To Win (June 9): Serge Savard always said, “Get a team into the playoffs and you never know what will happen.” Serge forgot to add: “unless you are a Leafs fan.”
Tim Jeffery, Toronto
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