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	Critics Dismiss Cardinal's Plea for Forgiveness By Dene Moore London Free Press November 22, 2007 http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/National/2007/11/22/4675525-sun.html MONTREAL -- An apology from Canada's top Roman Catholic official for the failings of the church means little to some of those he admitted have been hurt by the church's abuse of power. Marc Cardinal Ouellet admitted in an open letter published in Quebec newspapers yesterday that scandals have tarnished the image of the church in Quebec and that "we must humbly ask forgiveness." Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec and Roman Catholic primate of Canada, wrote that this "abuse of power" -- including the sexual aggression of priests against children -- have shaken public faith. "I recognize that the narrow minds of some Catholics, prior to 1960, encouraged anti-Semitism, racism, indifference toward First Nations and discrimination toward women and homosexuals," Ouellet wrote. He said the mistakes have tarnished the church's image and driven a wedge between the public and its religious identity. "We understand. Forgive us for all this pain." But the appeal fell flat for some of the groups Ouellet recognized as victims. "Do I feel better because the cardinal has recognized that wrongs were done to the population? Not really, because the cardinal doesn't offer any solutions," said Michael Hendricks, a gay activist in Montreal. "Those wrongs are ongoing. The day that I see a woman in front of a Catholic Church, leading the prayers, then I'll say equality has come." Bruno Roy, a spokesperson for the Duplessis Orphans Committee, said the archbishop's mea culpa is a blatant attempt to bolster the church's flagging influence and its fight for relig-ious instruction in public schools. He said Ouellet has never, even in the letter, actually apologized for the treatment of the orphans in church care during the Duplessis era. The Quebec Assembly of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said Ouellet was expressing his personal beliefs and was not writing on behalf of either group or the church as a whole. "It's a personal letter from . . . Ouellet," said Rollande Parrot, spokesperson for the Quebec assembly. "Each bishop is free to write what he wants." There was a time when the Roman Catholic Church controlled almost all aspects of Quebec society, running its hospitals, schools and, largely, its politics. In the 1950s, prior to the Quiet Revolution, nearly 90 per cent of Quebecers went to church every Sunday. It was one of the most staunchly Catholic regions of the world. Today pews sit largely empty.
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