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  Ouellet Apology Is a Step Forward

The Gazette
November 23, 2007

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=3ac09b7b-8f2d-4f53-a22c-4568c7d92ae5

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who as primate of Canada is the senior Roman Catholic churchman in the country, struck a nerve this week in his home province and across Canada by issuing an apology for a wide range of abuses committed in the Roman Catholic Church before 1960.

In a letter published Wednesday in the French-language press, Ouellet said he recognized that the "narrow attitudes of certain Catholics," before 1960, "fostered anti-Semitism, indifference toward First Nations people, (and) discrimination toward women and homosexuals." He also acknowledged "abuses of power and cover-ups."

A statement of regret for actions that undeniably harmed a large number of people is always welcome. Sorry is one of the hardest words for most people to pronounce. It is unlikely to be any easier to say for an archbishop or for the institution he represents.

 
 

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