Budget balanced, CCCB focuses
on abuse policy

By DEBORAH GYAPONG

CORNWALL, Ont. (CCN) – At its Oct. 16-20 annual plenary meeting in Cornwall, Ont., the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops came to a decision about its 2007 budget but referred the question of making voluntary sexual abuse guidelines mandatory to the November meeting of its Permanent Council.

“We are in good shape,” said CCCB president Archbishop Andre Gaumond of Sherbrooke in a telephone interview Oct. 23 after the conference had approved a balanced budget for 2007. “It’s really promising. We were very strict on the expenses. We have the results. Let’s hope we can keep on this way.”

The forecast surplus for 2006 is $368,000, while the actual surplus for 2005 is $824,694.

Going on to discuss the abuse guidelines, Archbishop Gaumond said, “It’s not an easy question, it’s very complex.”

He said Francophone and Anglophone bishops have some differences over the issue, largely based on the fact that Quebec has civil law while the rest of Canada operates under common law.

Another problem for establishing mandatory procedures is the autonomy of each diocese. Bishops are independent and answerable only to Rome. The CCCB serves the individual bishops in what they agree to do together but cannot bind the bishops unless the Holy See insists.

“How can we make efficient links with the whole Church in Canada? Every bishop has his own protocol,” Archbishop Gaumond said. He has his own protocol in his diocese based on From Pain to Hope, the document the bishops developed in the 1990s.

“We have already something to rely on,” he said. “The bishops are using this document accurately. But is it possible to make another step and have a mandatory way of explaining to the public what we are doing?”

The bishops also devoted time to reflecting on Catholics in public life after listening to a talk by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C. Among the topics raised were whether Catholic politicians who advocate positions contrary to Church teachings should be presenting themselves for Holy Communion, and if they should be refused if they do.

Another issue high on the bishops’ agenda was marriage, because a vote in Parliament is expected some time this fall on whether to reopen the debate on redefining marriage to include same-sex couples.

Archbishop Gaumond said the bishops don’t have a precise strategy because they do not know exactly when the vote will take place, but they do have a declaration ready for publication when Parliament decides to re-examine the issue.

The bishops wondered how they might encourage more Catholics to enter public life.

A decision was made to stress children’s rights and press for further study of the implications for children and society should the redefinition of marriage stick.

“We also wish to have more studies on the implications on changing the marriage definition,” Archbishop Gaumond said, noting that of special concern were the implications for the rights of children in 10 or 20 years.

The archbishop said his first year as CCCB president has been busy, and he anticipates an even busier year coming up because he has been asked to attend the Fifth General Conference of Latin American Bishops in May 2007 in Brazil.

“It’s a big thing, very important not only for Latin America but also for us,” he said. They have good theologians, good thinkers. The Pope will be there for at least a couple of days. I’ll have to practise my Spanish!”