Scarboro Foreign Missions Society Disappointed with Bishops’ Statement on Development & Peace
Volume 35 Issue 1, 2 & 3 | Posted: April 4, 2021
A joint press release from Development and Peace and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops arrived in our mailboxes on Feb 25th. For many of us it was a deep disappointment as there was still no transparency about the investigation of the CCODP’s partners precipitated by accusation sand innuendos from Lifesite News.
The release informed us that, “it was agreed to keep confidential the names of the international partners and not to make the full text of the Final Report public”. As a church surely, we have learned of the need to be both transparent and accountable.
We will continue our support of Development and Peace in the proud tradition of two of our priests Frs. Bill Smith SFM and John Walsh SFM both of whom worked full time at D&P contributing to the consolidation of Development and Peace as a lay organization of which the Church in Canada can be rightly proud.
In addition, we are equally proud of two Scarboro Lay missioners Armella Sontaag and Danny Gillis who upon their return to Canada worked as regional coordinators for D&P in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia respectively. The four brought experience, knowledge and love of grassroots organizations and lived experiences with the peoples of Brazil, Dominican Republic, Peru and the Philippines. Tom Walsh was the regional representative in Central America and the Caribbean for CAFOD of England. Others have worked with Jesuit programs. Needless to say we are very proud of all of them.
Many of our members, priests and lay missioners have volunteered to speak on behalf of Development and Peace in parishes, groups and schools across Canada. We continue to do so in gratitude for their work and acknowledgement of all that they have done and continue to do for so many in the Global South.
We would want to know the issues that have been raised and by whom. In search of a response, they have consulted Deloitte, a well-known financial institution with some expertise in planning and yet in Canada we have thousands of women and men religious who have worked for years in the Global South and yet they have not been consulted. What a loss! what a shame!