Around the world

Church & State, Sep 2000

Canada Mulls Church Aid In Sex Abuse Scandal

Hoping to avoid bankruptcy after thousands of costly lawsuits, Canada's three largest Christian denominations learned in June that the Canadian government is considering a plan to help the churches pay part of their enormous debts.

Before news of the bailout came, Canada's Catholic, United and Anglican churches faced serious financial difficulties after over 6,000 lawsuits were filed by Indians alleging sexual, physical and cultural abuse at federally funded, church-run residential schools.

In June, reports leaked that the Liberal cabinet is contemplating a plan to help the denominations pay a portion of their legal costs.

Canada funded 100 now-defunct residential schools, at which approximately 160,000 young Indians attended. Collectively, the lawsuits claim billions of dollars in damages.

"We really don't like the word `bailout' because we're quite willing to meet our responsibilities," said United Church of Canada spokesman Brian Thorpe. "But if Ottawa is willing to help us with our costs, we'd be open to that."

Catholic Church Gains Influence In Mexico

After nearly a century on the political sidelines, Mexico's Roman Catholic Church was encouraged by the Vicente Fox's victory in July's presidential election.

Fox's political party, the National Action Party (PAN), has been the nation's pro-Catholic faction for some time. In fact, according to a report in The Washington Post, in some areas where PAN controls local government, officials have already banned strip clubs, disparaged homosexuals and made efforts to impose community curfews.

The Archdiocese of Mexico is also trying to exert greater influence in government. The Nuevo Criterio, a publication of the church, recently advised the divorced president-elect to adhere to church teachings on divorce and either reunite with his ex-wife or promise never to remarry. Concerns over Catholic influence grew when Guanajuato's state legislature, with a PAN majority, extended an abortion ban to include cases of rape and incest.