Hey, it was a B, so why should I complain?
Forgotten History: Canadian Anti-Catholicism Haunts Canadians Today
After the British conquest of Quebec, there has been a strong anti-Catholic movement in Canada. Canadian anti-Catholicism is multi-layered, although there are three primary reasons: theological, social, and political (Kenny, Miller). Yet, this discrimination continues into the present and is largely ignored. Why? It is because Canadians (and Americans) are so familiar with their discrimination that they do not recognize it as such.
The relationship between Protestants and Catholics was transplanted to the New World from Europe. First and foremost, Canadian anti-Catholicism is based upon theological grounds, for both groups define themselves (and define each other) on religious grounds. The differences between the two groups are nearly too numerous to mention and the diversity (especially in Protestantism) among both can change certain issues; there are some common misunderstandings and outright fabrications that are propagated to legitimize anti-Catholicism.
The first common theological complaint laid against the Catholic is her teaching on the Eucharist (Catechism pg. 368-395). In brief, only an ordained priest can perform the mystery of the Eucharist. Only a priest can change the wafer and wine literally into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Most Protestant sects do not believe in the literal transformation of the wafer (or whatever is used). It is believed that Communion is a metaphorical representation of the Last Supper. The emphasis to the Catholic mindset is the need of a priest to perform the most important rite to the Catholic faith. It necessitates the hierarchy of the Church. Obviously, if a foreign power has influence over the countries citizens, it could pose some serious problems for national security.
The second critique was that of the Confessional. Many Protestants genuinely believed that the priest used the Confessional to seduce young women and wives (Jenkins pg. 44). This behaviour was considered the norm of the Confessional, rather than the exception. To Victorian sensibilities, this was a scandal. This myth only proved that Rome was corrupt and evil. Therefore, the Church needed to be opposed and that Catholics were deceived, if not downright the tools of Satan (Miller). It would be the duty of every single Protestant then, to oppose the Catholic agenda whenever possible.
There are many more strictly theological differences between Catholics and Protestants, whether they are about Mariology, devotion to the Saints, all-male priesthood, mandatory celibacy, etc. Yet, some of the theological disagreements would extend beyond religion. It would include how Protestants perceived the societies that were predominantly Catholic.
At the time of the British conquest of Canada in 1760, 97% of the Canadian population was Catholic (Kenny). Afterwards, large amounts of British Protestant immigrants came to Canada (Kenny). These immigrants came from states that were founded by Puritans and religious Dissenters who were vehemently anti-Catholic (Brown). In many ways, the Canadian and American anti-Catholicism experience is similar, because of these immigrants, the common British culture of both, and the cross-border experiences of religion (Moore).
Historic Canadian Catholic experience cannot be expressed without the French language. The 1860’s saw the French mindset closely associating their language with their religion (Jones). By the same token, Protestant Anglo-Canadians considered French to be synonymous to Romanism (Kenny). As a result, Catholicism was almost considered its own culture, with a foreign language and strange customs. Nevertheless, Lord Durham’s report (1839) advocated the assimilation of the French people, culturally, linguistically, and religiously, into mainstream British Protestantism (Kenny).
Protestants also believed that Catholic culture, society, and intellectual ability were inferior to theirs (Miller). Catholicism was impossible for the “social well-being and material progress in any state.” (Miller). This translated to restrictions in education. 19th century philosophy of education held that religion was inseparable from education (Bowman). Legislation in 1843 guaranteed the rights of parents to educate their children in religious and devotional matters as they saw fit (Bowman). Ergo, separate schooling was a major issue in Canadian politics. Although there was the larger question of church/state relations in separate schooling, the first bishop of Upper Canada Alexander MacDonnell felt it of primary importance for the establishment of a Catholic school system so that Catholics could compete with educated Protestants (Bowman). In the 19th century, it was illegal to open a Catholic school in Nova Scotia (Kenny). Wider events, such as the European revolutions of the 1840’s and the Papal response to it seemed to legitimize to many Protestants their fear of “Popery” (Miller). The individualism and liberal democratic ideals that these revolutions claimed to be fighting for embodied Protestant values. Because the Vatican resisted these particular revolutions, it was observed as further proof that Catholicism was repressive, authoritarian, and unprogressive (Miller).
The First Vatican Council, with its declaration of Papal Infallibility, also caused suspicion by Protestants that Catholics had divided loyalties (Miller). Some of the more militant Protestants even campaigned to exclude Catholics from holding public office (Miller). If these views had of taken affect, it would have disenfranchised a considerable portion of the Canadian population for no other reason than their religious adherence.
These external pressures by Protestants may have caused the rise of Ultramontane Catholicism in Quebec (Kenny, Miller). The Quebec Church may have noticed that they were flooded with Protestant immigrants, and that her closest neighbor the United States, was Protestant. The control the Catholic Church had over Quebec until the Quiet Revolution in the 1960’s was defensive. It was in response to the rising tides of hostility towards Rome. Consequently, politics within Canada was affected by domestic and international reasons.
The British conquest changed the privileged position of the Catholic Church in Canada in favor of the Church of England. The conquest though, still allowed Catholics to practice their religion, within the limits of English law (Moore). The Constitutional Act of 1791 separated Canada into Upper (Protestant) and Lower (Catholic) Canada. It also regulated up to 1/7th of crown land to be used to support Protestant clergy and gave the Lieutenant Governor or Governor the power to establish an Anglican church in every town (Moore). It should come as no surprise that the Canadian Catholic hierarchy would consider this Act as an extension of Protestant hostility.
The turn of the century did not improve Protestant opinion of Catholics either. Protestants thought that the Quebec Catholic Church stifled personal and intellectual freedoms in the 1860’s because “ordinary” Quebec Catholics rarely disagreed with the opinions of Church leadership (Jones). The common opinion was that this was caused directly by Catholicism. This was particularly prevalent in Ontario (Kenny).
In fact, the first Catholic Prime Minister of Canada, John Thomson, who was a convert to the faith, said “I have everything to lose from a worldly standpoint by this step I am about to take” (Kenny). Late 19th century Ontarian feeling about Thompson, and Catholicism in general can be summed up with this phrase: “worse than a Catholic born with the affliction: he was a Catholic convert or “pervert” as Ontario chose to call it” (Kenny). Canadians are so familiar with anti-Catholic discrimination that they do not recognize this bigotry that persists to this day.
Modern historians refuse to acknowledge the depths of anti-Catholicism (Jenkins, Kenny). In the 1940’s, there was only one Catholic in the University of Toronto’s history department, and he was described as a very odd man “in a very Protestant secular department” (Kenny). More recently, Michael Enright (As It Happens, CBC) in 1997 stated that the Roman Catholic Church was “the greatest criminal organization outside the Mafia” (Kenny). Not only was he not reprimanded for this statement, but also was promoted (Kenny).
Although Philip Jenkins argues for anti-Catholicism in the American context, there can be parallels drawn from them. For example, American media heavily influences Canadian media. As Jenkins argues, attacks against the Catholic Church are considered “fair game” (Jenkins pg. 113-132). There are vicious generalizations and stereotypes used within the media, notably within satirical cartoons. If other organizations or faiths, such as Jews or Muslims, were portrayed the same way, there would be a public outcry denouncing said depictions.
The changing landscape of Canadian public morality also draws fierce criticism from antagonists to the Catholic Church. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) was described in one letter to the editor as “hatemongers” and that “their faith embodies a history of intolerance, violence, and fear…” (Kenny). This rhetorical position of guilt by association is a useful political tool. This letter was responding to the CCCB’s position on gay marriage. Yet, is this guilt by association even reasonable? Jenkins would argue that much of the condemnation used in these differences in morality between modern North American society and the Catholic Church are ideologically driven (Jenkins pg. 177-206). Events like the Inquisition, Crusades, and Galileo trial have extra-historical meaning that creates myths out of them.
And these myths have a significant impact on the perception of the Catholic Church. The myth of the “pedophile priest” is common today because of the recent scandal in the American church. Not only are those specific priests who commit these acts responsible, but also the whole of the Catholic Church is responsible (Jenkins pg. 133-156). Everything seems to be the cause of this, from arrogant bishops, to priestly celibacy, to an all male priesthood. Common wisdom states that any one of these things would create this crisis, but are any one of these the cause of pedophilia? Unfortunately, there are no studies that support this myth, that celibacy or an all male priesthood causes pedophilia. Although the recent study commissioned by the U.S. Catholic bishops estimates that around 4% of priests since 1950 in the United States were pedophiles, there are no studies to compare this number to. Therefore, to believe that the Catholic Church harbors pedophile is unproven at best, an outright fabrication at worst.
Perhaps the greatest irony in contemporary anti-Catholicism is in Quebec. The journalist, Benoit Aubin, claimed, “the province had been in an intellectual gulag under the stifling domination of the clergy” (Kenny). Jacques Godbout, a novelist and commentator, has claimed that “black robed bigots” raised him and that the Church was “keeping the top of the intellectual and artistic pot tightly closed” (Kenny). This opinion, that the Catholic Church stifles intellectualism and science is a mainstream belief. Perhaps the only complaint that can be made about the Church is that it is an alternate social vision than that of the majority of Canadian society (Kenny).
Hostility to the Catholic Church is nothing new. Historical Protestant hostility to “the Catholic menace” is widely acknowledged (as is Catholic hostility towards Protestantism). The foundation of this antagonism is theological, which started in Europe, but followed the colonials into the New World. Since both sides considered themselves to be the “true” religion, they became bitter enemies. The different philosophical positions of the two on the relationship of church and state and the individualism of Protestantism created different social structures. These societies were considerably different, including language. The common Protestant perception of Catholic society was that it was ignorant, repressive, and superstitious. Finally, Protestants used political power to express their opposition to the Catholic Church. Whether through the separate school controversy, or the official support of Protestant clergy by Crown lands, WASP’s did not want Catholicism to spread any further.
Yet, the trivial admission that this historic antagonism infects mainstream Canada today is startling, for Canada’s strong roots in British Protestantism and that the British Empire formed the legal treaties that created Canada would suggest this. Perhaps the reason why there is such animosity to the Vatican (and no longer only from Protestants, but even Canadians who identify themselves as Catholics) is because there are such diverging attitudes on a wide range of issues. From contraception, women’s ordination, homosexuality, abortion, and pre-marital sex, these issues divide Canadians and Rome. Can these issues be resolved amicably? The likelihood that the Church will change anytime soon to suit Canadian opinion on these issues is slim. The Vatican is a foreign power. It does not hold allegiance to any single government and the future of the Church is not in the First World, but in the Third World.
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