RE: Damned Catholics
May 31, 2021 at 11:26 am
(This post was last modified: May 31, 2021 at 11:27 am by HappySkeptic.)
The various churches flocked to be part of the residential school program, because it was a way to convert the heathen natives to their brand of Christianity. The RC Church was the biggest by far, and it seems they were the greatest abusers.
The government wanted to do something about the "Indian problem", and education was reasonable. However, the other purpose of the schools was to "beat the Indian out of them", and took the children away from family and anyone who would protect them. The adult natives were essentially wards of the state, pushed onto reservations, and no-one liked them. Only by destroying native culture could the "problem" be fixed.
It was a dark chapter in Canadian history, but the RC Church covered up the deaths of the children in their care, telling the families that they "ran away". And then there is the physical and sexual abuse, which was endemic. Yeah, the RC Church has a lot to answer for, and the government is responsible for a racist and genocidal policy.
The government wanted to do something about the "Indian problem", and education was reasonable. However, the other purpose of the schools was to "beat the Indian out of them", and took the children away from family and anyone who would protect them. The adult natives were essentially wards of the state, pushed onto reservations, and no-one liked them. Only by destroying native culture could the "problem" be fixed.
It was a dark chapter in Canadian history, but the RC Church covered up the deaths of the children in their care, telling the families that they "ran away". And then there is the physical and sexual abuse, which was endemic. Yeah, the RC Church has a lot to answer for, and the government is responsible for a racist and genocidal policy.