This shift rendered the Catholic Church impotent and irrelevant in the minds of the overwhelming majority of French Quebecers to the extent that, within a generation, almost 400 years of Catholic practice was wiped away. Church attendance declined from 80 per cent or more in 1960 to under 10 per cent today, and Quebec has demonstrated Canada’s most liberal outlook on issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion, euthanasia and removal of religion from public life. 

Within English Canada today, the church is heading down the road that Quebec followed in the 1960s, though the parallel may not be apparent at first blush. 

Quebec’s revolution was led by young academics and labour leaders such as Pierre Trudeau and Jean Marchand, men educated in church-run colleges who eventually were seconded from the care of the church as they led the modernization of Quebec and emerged as political leaders. Perhaps like any parent who sees a child begin to make a name for themselves, Quebec bishops, religious and clergy marvelled at the success of  these young, Catholic-educated leaders and they remained silent as change came to Quebec. Soon, the church found that by remaining silent during the secular debates of the day its moral authority was diminished and eventually rejected by the majority. The Quebec church was relegated to the sidelines, where it seems destined to remain for the foreseeable future.

A similar process is occuring in the modern church. But rather than a debate about secularism or pent-up anger at clericalism, the church is being eroded by a litany of sex-abuse scandals and an unwillingness by our spiritual leaders to forcefully and actively engage in a debate that has sparked a moral crisis. In that respect, in their silence, church leaders are mirroring the methods that failed so spectacularly not so long ago in Quebec.

There have been exceptions. Archbishop Anthony Mancini (Halifax) addressed the issue forcefully with an emotionally charged letter to Catholics in his diocese in the wake of the Bishop Raymond Lahey pornography scandal. Bishop Fred Henry (Calgary) has used new and traditional media to great effect. But these examples are few and far between within our national episcopacy. 

Too often commentary from church leaders is confined to theological pronouncements and moral teachings from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), speaking as it does (in theory) as the bishops’ collective voice. The problem with this practice is two fold. First, these statements tend to be in language more appropriate for a scholarly theological discussion than for enlightenment of the masses. (I am reminded of the posters that were popular in the 1970s:   “A Camel is a horse designed by a committee,” or perhaps more appropriate to this case,  “God so loved the world that he didn’t send a committee.”)

Second, by ceding to the CCCB the role of national voice for the church, individual bishops are passing the buck by not fulfilling an obligation to preach, teach and protect the faithful to the best of their ability. Seemingly relucant to stand out from amongst their brother bishops, they risk rendering themselves impotent to guide the faithful through these difficult times.

The bishops should take a lesson from the Quebec experience, lest je me souviens become a lament of the church in English Canada, where the work and witness of countless millions is in danger of being  squandered. It is time for church leaders to find the courage and wisdom to engage in the questions of the day, both individually and collectively, using every lever at their disposal, before it is too late.

May they learn from the experience of their Quebec confreres 40 years ago and not repeat the mistake of silence.

(Fr. Tim Moyle is the pastor at St. Anne’s parish in Mattawa, Ont. He can be read on his blog: frtimmoyle.blogspot.com .)