{"id":20,"date":"2021-05-05T19:23:19","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T19:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/catholicisminquebec\/?page_id=20"},"modified":"2021-05-18T16:12:50","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T16:12:50","slug":"chapter-6","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/catholicisminquebec\/chapter-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Integrating the community<\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Denise St-Pierre is in charge of the religious instruction of Catholic youth and adults in Baie-Comeau, Que., a town on the north shore of the St. Lawrence. The first time she met an African priest was about 15 years ago. Her initial reaction when she saw him? \u201cHappy that he was coming,\u201d she answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a common reaction among Quebec parishioners, according to Gasp\u00e9 bishop Ga\u00e9tan Proulx. He currently has eight priests from overseas working in his diocese. Twenty years ago, there were none. He said that churchgoers are usually welcoming to them, because they \u201cknow that if we didn\u2019t have these priests, then there wouldn\u2019t be a lot of people left to serve them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serge Tidjani, who was born in Benin and who now works in Proulx\u2019s diocese as a chancellor, echoed this sentiment. \u201cMost people are grateful,\u201d he said, adding that the majority of Quebeckers he met realized that migrant priests were leaving their home and loved ones as an act of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the integration of these newcomers in the community is not always smooth. Cultural differences and misunderstanding are sometimes sources of tension, and some priest still report incidents of racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subtle and not so subtle \u2013 racism in the parish<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Quebec premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault may have repeatedly denied that systemic racism exists in his province, but that hasn\u2019t stopped bishops and priests from witnessing remarks aimed at foreign missionaries that were indisputably xenophobic or prejudiced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not blatant, but it\u2019s there,\u201d said Paul Andr\u00e9 Durocher, Gatineau\u2019s archbishop. For example, a member of his diocese asked him once why he was making the parish African.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rimouski bishop Denis Grondin recalled similar conversations, saying some parishioners told him; \u201cWe don\u2019t want them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tidjani acknowledged that he had experienced racism, but maintained it didn\u2019t reflect the majority of his interactions with Quebeckers. \u201cIt\u2019s a minority, it\u2019s really a minority,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What helps is explaining to parishioners that all priests receive the same theological training regardless of where they\u2019re from, said Proulx.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But sometimes, that\u2019s not enough to foster acceptance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did you say?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A big obstacle to foreign-born priests being accepted by Canadian worshippers is their accents. \u201cA lot of them tell me, \u2018they speak French but we don\u2019t understand them,\u2019\u201d said Claude Desch\u00eanes, pastoral representative for Sacr\u00e9-Coeur, a small town in the Saguenay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people in his parish told him that they would stop going to church if it continued that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere we speak Quebecker, you know,\u201d said Desch\u00eanes laughingly. Whereas when Africans and South Americans clerics speak French, \u201ctheir words are sometimes not said the same way as us,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proulx and Grondin also said parishioners came to them to complain about this issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seniors, who make up the majority of churchgoers and who are more prone to hearing issues than younger adults, seem to have the hardest time understanding them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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