This article explores the Catholic Church’s response to Canada’s Indian Residential School system; namely, how it has chosen to frame and understand its role and responsibility in the harm inflicted upon indigenous persons and communities. The predominant approach has been to spare the Catholic Church itself of culpability while focusing on that of individual Catholics and institutions (e.g., dioceses and religious orders). At the root of this perspective appears to be the distinction between the Church, which is holy, and her members, who are sinners. This article, however, argues that this view is insufficient in light of a christological ecclesiology: Church institutions and members form one body in Christ with two natures, divine and human, which should neither be divided nor confused. With this view in mind, it is argued that reconciliation efforts can and should be made on behalf of not only individual Catholics and institutions, but the Catholic Church as a whole.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.