Mississauga priest strongly criticized, apologizes for residential school comments
Posted June 24, 2021 2:25 pm.
Last Updated June 24, 2021 6:41 pm.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For those in need of emotional support, the 24-hour Residential Schools Crisis Line is available at 1-866-925-4419.
A Mississauga priest is facing heavy public condemnation for comments he made about the residential school system.
During his sermon at the ‘Merciful Redeemer Parish’ last Sunday, Monsignor Owen Keenan talked about the residential school in Kamloops, B.C. where the remains of more than 200 Indigenous children were found in unmarked graves in May.
He said as many people who are blaming the church would also thank it for the “good that was done” in those schools.
“Two-thirds of the country blames the church. The church which we love, to which we belong, for which we make great efforts for the tragedies that occurred there,” Keenan said.
“I presume that the same number would thank the church for the good that was done in those schools.”
Video of his sermon was originally posted on the church’s YouTube page but has since been deleted but clips of his comments are still circulating on social media.
Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie is a member of the parish and is condemning his comments calling them deeply insensitive.
I was deeply disappointed to learn about some of the comments Monsignor Owen Keenan made during recent homilies at the Merciful Redeemer Parish in Mississauga.
My full statement below. pic.twitter.com/ZLLPAbALGW
— Bonnie Crombie ???????? (@BonnieCrombie) June 24, 2021
“In regard to his comments on residential schools, what Monsignor Keenan said was deeply insensitive to Indigenous Canadians, particularly at a time when Indigenous communities are in pain as they unearth more mass graves at the sites of former residential schools,” said Crombie in a statement.
“His comments show a fundamental misunderstanding of one of the core tragedies of the residential school system in Canada: that children were forcibly separated from their parents.”
Crombie also expressed objection with Keenan suggesting the Dufferin-Peel Catholic Schools lacked courage for raising the Pride Flag.
She says she’s spoken to Keenan and he expressed remorse for his comments.
“In a statement posted on the Merciful Redeemer Parish’s website, Monsignor Keenan has unequivocally apologized,” she said.
“As a faith leader, he has a duty to seek the truth and redemption. Right now, communities across Canada are grappling with how to eliminate hate and discrimination, as well as how we can play a meaningful role in helping reach true reconciliation with Indigenous communities.”
On Thursday, the Cowessess First Nation said 751 unmarked graves have been uncovered on the grounds of a former residential school in Saskatchewan.
The chief of Saskatchewan’s Cowessess First Nation says it is a crime to remove headstones in this country and his community is treating the site as a crime scene.
“For the first time, we are truly confronting our history and learning the truth about what really happened. I grieve for the hundreds, and likely thousands of children in the unmarked graves who never had a full life and experienced tremendous pain and suffering, and deep sadness,” added Crombie.
“History is taught a certain way by those in power and often obscures the real truth of behind what really happened.”
Chief Cadmus Delorme announced the results this morning of a ground-penetrating radar search of the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School.
Delorme says not all of the graves are those of children.
He is calling on Pope Francis to apologize for what happened in the school and its impact on members of the community and their descendants, saying it is one part of the healing journey.
Monsignor Keenan issues statement apologizing: “I am deeply sorry, embarrassed, ashamed and shocked”
In a statement on the church’s website, Keenan says he wants to apologize for any hurt he has caused and pledges to do better.
“I would like to communicate to the faithful and all those who have expressed concerns about my homily the weekend of 19/20 June 2021. I want to acknowledge the pain and anger which has been magnified as the result of a portion of my remarks being circulated in social media and elsewhere,” Keenan wrote.
“I apologize sincerely for any hurt I have caused and pledge to do better, especially at a time when there is a national conversation underway regarding residential schools.”
Keenan’s full statement:
[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.680news.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/2/2021/06/24/a_message_from_msgrkeenan.pdf”]
