CAFE Joins Traditionalist Catholics to Protest the Removal of Msgr. Keenan Who Defended the Church & Residential Schools

TORONTO. June 29, 2021. About two dozen supporters of CAFE joined Traditionalist Catholics outside the Chancery of the Archdiocese of Toronto to protest the removal of Msgr Owen Keenan of Mississauga who delivered his online sermon two weeks ago denouncing media anti-Catholic bias and supporting the positive role played by residential schools in the education of young Indians. He also opposed the flying of the rainbow Gay Pride flag at Catholics schools.

Msgr. Keenan’s remarks that spooked Thomas Cardinal Collins into firing him as pastor of Merciful Redeemer Church in Mississauga and putting him on an indefinite leave of absence included: “Two-thirds of the country is blaming the church, which we love, for the tragedies that occurred there,” he said in a clip of the sermon posted to Reddit. “Now I presume that the same number would thank the church for the good that was done in those schools, but of course, that question was never asked and in fact, we are not allowed to even say that good was done in those schools.”  Also, ” ‘Many people had very positive experiences at residential schools. Many people received health care and education and joyous experiences. They weren’t universally awful.’ 

“Cancel culture has come to the Catholic Church,” said Paul Fromm, Director of the Canadian Association for Free Expression. “When honesty and balance about the residential schools are necessities, Cardinal Collins has done the cowardly, expedient thing, appeased the rabidly anti-Catholic Fake News media, and thrown a loyal defender of the Church under the bus. Msgr. Keenan was doing the jobs Canada’s bishops should have been doing, explaining how the teachers in the residential schools sought to educate and better the Indian children and that the very likely cause of the bulk of the deaths at these schools was tuberculosis and flu, especially the deadly Spanish Flu, which killed 50,000 Canadians.”
Many passersby were impressed both by the arguments and by the fact that none of the protesters were wearing masks at the sweltering, humid mid-day protest.

One sour note: A balding, portly security guard emerged from the building to confront one of the rally spokesmen. He threatened to call the police if protesters strayed off the public sidewalk onto the concrete apron in front of the building. He threatened to call the police — to deal with a peaceful protest. He went right up in the face of one of the traditional Catholics. He was told to back off. Under COVID rules people are supposed to keep six feet distance. The bullying guard accused people of not wearing masks. He was told it was outdoors and they weren’t required.
Shortly afterwards two Metropolitan Toronto Police arrived on bicycles. After a short discussion, they were assured of the purpose of the protest and eventually moved off.