Ottawa – Beginning today, in Catholic dioceses/eparchies across Canada, Bishops will issue locally the updated and expanded national guidelines for the protection of minors in Canada. Entitled Protecting Minors from Sexual Abuse: A Call to the Catholic Faithful in Canada for Healing, Reconciliation, and Transformation, this document of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) was unanimously adopted by the Bishops of Canada on September 27 during their 2018 annual Plenary Assembly. Since then, Bishops have taken time to familiarize themselves with its contents and to consider with their diocesan/eparchial staff how to ensure its implementation in their dioceses/eparchies as well as how best to inform and educate clergy, members of religious communities and lay personnel.

First and foremost, this document focuses on minors and vulnerable adults, whom Canada’s Bishops wish to protect from sexual violence. In addition to a clear delineation of procedures in cases of sexual abuse, it puts forward 69 recommendations inspired by nine lessons which Bishops have learned through their collective experiences over the past quarter century. Chief among these is that victims must come first. The document seeks not only to provide guidance for diocesan/eparchial protocols and policies as well as those for religious communities, but to stimulate a cultural transformation in attitudes about sexual abuse. The new guidelines apply to all Catholic clergy (Bishops, priests and deacons), as well as members of religious communities and also lay personnel who are working in Catholic parishes or Church organizations.

With their responsibility for the safeguarding of pastoral environments at the forefront of their ministry, and to ensure accuracy, depth, authenticity, rigour, and relevance, the Bishops in preparing the document involved input from a broad spectrum of contributors, including survivors, lay women and lay men, as well as professional consultants with experience and expertise in psychology, social work, child protection, and Church and civil law. The majority of the experts consulted also have specific experience in protecting minors and vulnerable adults from sexual abuse.

With this document, Canada’s Bishops reaffirm their commitment to continue improving practices in their dioceses/eparchies with an emphasis on long-term prevention and pre-emptive action. The document brings the CCCB’s existing guidelines (From Pain to Hope, 1992; Orientations, 2007) up to date with the latest laws in Canada and the most recent norms of the Holy See. Bishops will study and use the document to update diocesan/eparchial policies and protocols. In adopting the document, the Bishops also agreed to establish a special committee to assist the CCCB in keeping its policies up-to-date and to make recommendations on emerging questions.

The Bishops acknowledge that the implementation of a document of this magnitude will take time, but the focused and transformative actions which will come of it will protect minors and promote the healing of survivors. All of Canada’s Bishops hope that survivors of sexual abuse will read Protecting Minors from Sexual Abuse and see in it a real effort to listen and learn from them.

Additional Information
Introduction to Protecting Minors from Sexual Abuse: A Call to the Catholic Faithful in Canada for Healing, Reconciliation, and Transformation – https://youtu.be/71_KUyo3NkE

Protecting Minors from Sexual Abuse: A Call to the Catholic Faithful in Canada for Healing, Reconciliation, and Transformation

• This resource may be downloaded and printed without permission for personal and noncommercial use. For all other usage, please contact  permissions@cccb.ca.
• The document is also available for purchase from CCCB Publications.

Media inquiries
To facilitate queries from the media, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) recommends the following:

For inquiries pertaining to the content of the document Protecting Minors from Sexual Abuse: A Call to the Catholic Faithful in Canada for Healing, Reconciliation, and Transformation, contact:

Lisa Gall
Communications Coordinator
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB)
E-mail at communications@cccb.ca
Phone at 613-241-9461, ext. 225

For inquiries pertaining to the implementation of the document in Canadian dioceses/eparchies, contact the local diocese/eparchy directly here.

(CCCB – Ottawa)… His Holiness Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend André Rivest as Bishop of the Diocese of Chicoutimi, and has appointed today as his successor Father René Guay. At the time of his appointment, the Bishop-elect was chaplain at the Detention Centre of Québec City. Bishop Rivest has been Bishop of Chicoutimi for the past 13 years. He had submitted his resignation to the Holy Father upon reaching the age of 75, as required by the Code of Canon Law.

Bishop-elect René Guay was born on 4 September 1950 at Saint-Thomas-Didyme, Québec. He studied at the Grand Séminaire of Chicoutimi, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in theology from the University of Québec at Chicoutimi (UQAC), then a Master’s degree in theology from Laval University. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Chicoutimi on 13 July 1975. After his ordination, he became pastor of the parish Christ-Roi in Chicoutimi (1975-1978), and then of the parish Saint-Georges in Jonquière (1978-1979). From 1979 to 1992, he worked as a missionary priest in Chile, as an associate of the Société des Missions-Étrangères.

After an internship at the Centre de Spiritualité Manrèse, Québec City, he was appointed spiritual director of the Grand Séminaire of Chicoutimi (1993-2004), while also serving as a lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies and Ethics at UQAC (1995-2001), before continuing as a professor in the Institut de formation théologique et pastorale of the Diocese of Chicoutimi (2004-2015). In 2016, he received a doctorate in practical theology from Laval University. At the same time, he was a member of the pastoral team of the Chicoutimi Detention Centre (1995-2015). He also has collaborated with the former Social Affairs Committee of the Assembly of Québec Catholic Bishops.

Bishop Rivest was born 28 April 1942 in Repentigny, now a suburb of Montreal, and studied at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal, of which he eventually became a member of the formation team (1980 to 1990). He was ordained a priest in 1966 for the Archdiocese of Montreal and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Montreal on 27 June 1995. He was named Bishop of Chicoutimi on 19 June 2004. As a member of the CCCB, he served as on the former Episcopal Commission for Christian Education of the French Sector (2000-2003) and also with the Canadian French-language vocations council, the Conseil canadien francophone de la pastorale des vocations (2003-2005). Bishop Rivest was Vice President of the Assembly of Québec Catholic Bishops, 2011-2015.

According to the CCCB 2017 Directory, the Diocese of Chicoutimi has 65 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 263,950 served by 124 diocesan priests, 21 priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, 43 permanent deacons, 332 religious Sisters and 14 Brothers who are members of religious institutes, as well as 49 lay pastoral workers.

In response to the Rohingya persecution in Myanmar, The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada has launched an emergency appeal to help refugees seeking asylum in Bangladesh. Development and Peace has already sent $50,000 to Caritas Bangladesh to assist the Rohingya refugees through the distribution of food to 25,000 of the most vulnerable people in the district of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

This past 31 October 2017, the Ministry for International Development and La Francophonie launched the Myanmar Crisis Relief Fund. Any donations to this cause made through an eligible Canadian charity between 25 August and 28 November 2017 will be matched by the Government of Canada.

Further Information on the Myanmar Crisis Relief Fund and instructions on how to donate can be found at the following websites:

Link to the news release of CCODP

Link to make a donation to CCODP

Link the Government for the Crisis Relief Fund

(CCCB – Ottawa)… The Most Reverend Jacques Landriault, Bishop Emeritus of Timmins, died on 6 November 2017, in Ottawa, at the age of 96. After 19 years as Bishop of the Diocese of Timmins, he had submitted his resignation to the Holy Father for health issues and this was accepted on 13 December 1990.

Bishop Landriault was born on 23 September 1921, in Alfred, Ontario. He was ordained a priest in 1947 for the Diocese of Timmins. On 15 May 1962, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall. Two years later, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Hearst on 27 May 1964 and then Bishop of the Diocese of Timmins on 24 March 1971, while remaining Apostolic Administrator of Hearst from 1971 to 1973. As a member of the CCCB, Bishop Landriault served as member of the former Commission for Catholic Action and the Lay Apostolate (1966-1969), member of the former Commission for Christian Education of the French Sector (1966-1971 and 1989-1991), member of the Ad hoc Committee for the evaluation and restructuring of the CCCB (1967-1969), consultor for the then Office for Clergy (1969-1970), member of the former Commission for Institutes of Consecrated Life (1979-1983), and member of the then Commission for Liturgy for the French Sector (1979-1987).

His mortal remains will lie in state at Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, Ottawa, on 9 November 2017, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, followed by the celebration of the Eucharist. This Mass will be presided by the Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Archbishop of Ottawa, with the Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau, as homilist. Archbishop Durocher was originally a priest of the Diocese of Timmins. On 11 November 2017, at noon, the Most Reverend Serge Poitras, Bishop of Timmins, will preside at the Funeral Mass in St. Anthony of Padua Cathedral, Timmins. The homily again will be by Archbishop Durocher. The mortal remains of Bishop Landriault will lie in state in the Timmins Cathedral on 10 November, from 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm, with Vespers at 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue on 11 November from 10:00 am until the beginning of the Funeral Mass.

(CCCB – Ottawa)… The Most Reverend Bawai Soro has been named Eparchial Bishop of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Mar Addai of Toronto. Until the new Eparchial Bishop takes canonical possession of the Eparchy, the Most Reverend Francis Kalabat, Eparchial Bishop of the Chaldean Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Detroit, will remain as Apostolic Administrator, sede vacante, for the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Mar Addai of Toronto.

According to the CCCB 2017 Directory, the Eparchy of Mar Addai of Toronto has 10 parishes and missions, with a population of 40,000 served by 10 diocesan priests and two deacons. Established in June 2011, the Eparchy is the only Chaldean diocese in Canada and includes all the country’s Chaldean Catholics.

(CCCB – Ottawa)… The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) intervened on 30 October 2017 before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights concerning clause 14 of Bill C-51, “An Act to Amend the Criminal Code and the Department of Justice Act and to Make Consequential Amendments to Another Act”. Under clause 14, the Bill proposes the removal of Section 176 (1, 2, 3) of the Criminal Code of Canada, which currently makes it an indictable offence to obstruct or cause violence to an officiating clergyman or minister as well as to disturb religious worship or gatherings. The oral interventions were brought forward by the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and President of the CCCB and His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto. The two Bishops were accompanied by Mr Bruce F. Simpson, a partner with Barnes Sammon LLP specialized in criminal law.

Further to a written Brief which the CCCB had earlier submitted to the Standing Committee, Bishop Gendron and Cardinal Collins in their oral presentations raised a number of concerns regarding the protection of religious freedom in Canada in connection with the proposal to remove section 176 of the Criminal Code. The Bishops urged that Bill C-51 be amended in order to retain section 176 for the following reasons.

Cardinal Collins noted that “This is the only section of the Criminal Code that explicitly references protection for religious communities”, adding “[it] has been referenced in court cases in the past where judges have recognized that freedom of assembly and freedom of association, rights protected in the Charter, could be rendered meaningless without the protection of section 176….” Bishop Gendron went on to point out that “Section 176 emphasizes and reinforces our shared belief in and respect for the freedom of religion and maintains an indispensible link between the Criminal Code and the protection of fundamental human rights.” He reminded the Committee that “The human person understood as a seeker of truth is the basis for religious freedom, for freedom of conscience, and indeed for freedom of speech.” Concerning the protection given to ministers of religion in section 176, Bishop Gendron clarified that “to protect them from being obstructed in the performance of their duties or from assault is not to protect some ostensible elite status; it is to protect the community of faith by ensuring that the exercise of religious freedom is not impeded by acts of violence or threats which are directed against its faith leaders.”

Both Bishop Gendron and Cardinal Collins echoed the concern that “the removal of such protection would send a disturbing message from Parliament to faith communities. Divine worship services of all denominations as well as the important contributions of faith communities should hold a special place in our heritage and our laws.” In 2017 Statistics Canada released a report which confirmed that 35% of hate-motivated crimes reported in 2015 resulted from hatred of religion.

In addition, the President of the CCCB is joining other faith leaders in Canada in signing an interfaith statement also asking the Minister of Justice to retain section 176. Drafted by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Association for Reformed Political Action and the CCCB, the interfaith statement will be released in the coming days.

Link to the Brief of the CCCB (PDF)

Link to the intervention of Bishop Gendron (PDF)

Link to the intervention of Cardinal Collins (PDF)

(CCCB – Ottawa)… The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) intervened on 30 October 2017 before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights concerning clause 14 of Bill C-51, “An Act to Amend the Criminal Code and the Department of Justice Act and to Make Consequential Amendments to Another Act”. Under clause 14, the Bill proposes the removal of Section 176 (1, 2, 3) of the Criminal Code of Canada, which currently makes it an indictable offence to obstruct or cause violence to an officiating clergyman or minister as well as to disturb religious worship or gatherings. The oral interventions were brought forward by the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and President of the CCCB and His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto. The two Bishops were accompanied by Mr Bruce F. Simpson, a partner with Barnes Sammon LLP specialized in criminal law.

Further to a written Brief which the CCCB had earlier submitted to the Standing Committee, Bishop Gendron and Cardinal Collins in their oral presentations raised a number of concerns regarding the protection of religious freedom in Canada in connection with the proposal to remove section 176 of the Criminal Code. The Bishops urged that Bill C-51 be amended in order to retain section 176 for the following reasons.

Cardinal Collins noted that “This is the only section of the Criminal Code that explicitly references protection for religious communities”, adding “[it] has been referenced in court cases in the past where judges have recognized that freedom of assembly and freedom of association, rights protected in the Charter, could be rendered meaningless without the protection of section 176….” Bishop Gendron went on to point out that “Section 176 emphasizes and reinforces our shared belief in and respect for the freedom of religion and maintains an indispensible link between the Criminal Code and the protection of fundamental human rights.” He reminded the Committee that “The human person understood as a seeker of truth is the basis for religious freedom, for freedom of conscience, and indeed for freedom of speech.” Concerning the protection given to ministers of religion in section 176, Bishop Gendron clarified that “to protect them from being obstructed in the performance of their duties or from assault is not to protect some ostensible elite status; it is to protect the community of faith by ensuring that the exercise of religious freedom is not impeded by acts of violence or threats which are directed against its faith leaders.”

Both Bishop Gendron and Cardinal Collins echoed the concern that “the removal of such protection would send a disturbing message from Parliament to faith communities. Divine worship services of all denominations as well as the important contributions of faith communities should hold a special place in our heritage and our laws.” In 2017 Statistics Canada released a report which confirmed that 35% of hate-motivated crimes reported in 2015 resulted from hatred of religion.

In addition, the President of the CCCB is joining other faith leaders in Canada in signing an interfaith statement also asking the Minister of Justice to retain section 176. Drafted by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Association for Reformed Political Action and the CCCB, the interfaith statement will be released in the coming days.

Link to the Brief of the CCCB (PDF)

Link to the intervention of Bishop Gendron (PDF)

Link to the intervention of Cardinal Collins (PDF)

The National Week for Life and the Family will be celebrated across Canada, the 13 to 20 May 2018, from the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord to Pentecost Sunday. Ascension Sunday this year also coincides with Mother’s Day. For the sixth consecutive year, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is offering dioceses/eparchies, parishes as well as Catholic organizations and associations groups possible resources and options for planning and organizing local activities. The theme for 2018 is “Love: Encountering the Other”. The resources have been prepared by the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF), working in collaboration and consultation with the CCCB, and are available online, and may be freely downloaded and reproduced by dioceses/eparchies, parishes and other non-profit groups.

The materials include a poster; a prayer card ; a prayer card for children before meals; a proposed plan for pastors and lay pastoral workers on how they might organize the Week; a message from the CCCB President, the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil; proposals for homily notes and Prayers of the Faithful; and suggestions for related events and activities. Each diocese/eparchy decides how to adapt or use the suggested annual resources, in view of its own specific pastoral priorities, needs, and capacities.

The dates of the National Week are determined primarily by the United Nations 1993 resolution which declared 15 May the International Day of Families. In turn, the International Day is used to establish the dates for Quebec Family Week (Semaine québécoise des familles).

Link to the proposed resources on the CCCB website

Link to the message of the President of the CCCB (PDF)

As part of the 2017 Plenary Assembly of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the Bishops of Canada gathered in Ottawa for the celebration of a Solemn Mass on the liturgical Feast of Saints Jean de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs, at Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica on 26 September. The Canadian Martyrs are the secondary patrons of Canada. The Eucharistic celebration included the Consecration of Canada to the Blessed Virgin Mary on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation and also highlighted the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada.

The Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Archbishop of Ottawa and Apostolic Administrator of Alexandria-Cornwall, was the presider, with the Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., Bishop of Hamilton, and the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, as the two principal concelebrants. His Eminence Gérald Cyprien Cardinal Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec and Primate of Canada, was the homilist. The prayer of Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary was led by Cardinal Lacroix together with His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, and His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, who is Archbishop Emeritus of Québec.

An abridged version of the prayer of Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary is also available for the personal use of the faithful. The prayer card has a full-colour reproduction of the painting “Notre-Dame du Canada” by the late Québec artist Marius Dubois. A mounted copy of his painting was also featured during the Solemn Mass and throughout the CCCB 2017 Plenary Assembly.

At the reception following the Mass, Bishop Crosby who was then CCCB President spoke of the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada. He recalled that “when founding Development and Peace, the Bishops were building on exemplary Canadian traditions of missionary work, formation in the social teaching of the Church, and the apostolate of the laity. The CCODP mission can be summed up in the word ‘mercy‘.” He also highlighted how “Development and Peace is part of the structure and mission of the Church, working with and on behalf of the Catholic Bishops and faithful in our country.” Finally, he recalled the CCCB Pastoral Letter published in November 2016 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the organization being founded and mandated by the Bishops of Canada

Link to the archives video of the Solemn Mass on Salt + Light TV

Link to the bilingual homily by Cardinal Lacroix (PDF)

Link to the remarks by Bishop Crosby at the reception for the 50th anniversary of Development and Peace – Caritas Canada (PDF)

Link to order the prayer cards of Our Lady of Canada

Link to the Pastoral Letter issued by the CCCB for the 50th anniversary of Development and Peace – Caritas Canada

Link to the bilingual Prayer of Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary (PDF)

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The 2017 Forum for Canadian national Catholic movements and associations was held in Châteauguay, Quebec, at Manoir D’Youville, 6-8 October 2017. Hosted every three years by the Standing Committee for Relations with Catholic Movements and Associations of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), this provides a unique opportunity for national Catholic organizations to share and discuss their activities and charisms with one another and with the Bishops on the Standing Committee. This year, the theme was “Co-workers in the vineyard”. The gathering brought together representatives from over 25 national Catholic organizations from across Canada who engaged in three major discussions: the formation of leaders in the Church, the different faces of social, material and spiritual poverty present in Canada, and the use of social media in the Church’s mission of evangelization.

The Most Reverend Marc Pelchat, Auxiliary Bishop of Québec, provided the keynote address, reflecting on the 19 March 2016 letter from Pope Francis to Cardinal Marc Ouellet in the latter’s capacity as President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, regarding the public participation of the laity in the life of the Church. In his letter Pope Francis remarks: “Looking at the People of God is remembering that we all enter the Church as lay people. The first sacrament, which seals our identity forever, and of which we should always be proud, is Baptism. Through Baptism and by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, (the faithful) ‘are consecrated as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood’ (Lumen Gentium, n. 10). Our first and fundamental consecration is rooted in our Baptism.”

Link to the full text of the letter of the Pope