Actions and Commitments

Call to Action # 29: Justice (25-42)

Supreme Court to determine Catholic Church liability for Christian Brothers

December 28, 2020

CBC – Supreme Court will decide in January whether The Archdiocese of St. John’s is liable for physical and sexual abuse suffered by Indigenous claimants at the Mount Cashel Orphanage. The Archdiocese of St. John’s claims no ownership over the orphanage, and no affiliation with the brothers who worked there. A Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador judge sided with the church in 2018, but three appellate judges in the province sided with the victims in July 2020, ruling the Catholic Church was liable for damages because of its close relationship with the Christian Brothers. Canada’s top court will soon decide whether to hear one last appeal or put the case to bed and leave the Catholic Church to pay for the sins of the brothers who ran the orphanage and school.