ROMAN CATHOLICISM & POLITICS IN QUÉBECTHEO 343 TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016SAMUEL FARRUGIA

HISTORY OF QUÉBEC

1. NEW FRANCE (1534 – 1763)2. BRITISH NORTH AMERICA (« LOWER CANADA » &

« QUÉBEC » ) (1791 – 1867)3. THE QUIET REVOLUTION (1960s)4. RECENT CHALLENGES

NEW FRANCE

(1534 – 1763)

16TH-CENTURY RELIGIOUS UPHEAVALS IN EUROPE

A NEW WORLD…

TO EVANGELIZE

JACQUES CARTIER (1491 – 1557)

JESUIT MISSIONS

CANADIAN MARTYRS

JEANNE MANCE (1606 – 1673)• 1642: among the founders of the city of Montreal.

• At the age of 38, she was in charge of the city’s finances, food supplies, tools and merchandise.

• 1645: establishes Montreal’s first hospital, l’Hôtel-Dieu (3840 Rue Saint-Urbain).• Recruited Catholic religious sisters (nuns) to help her

run the hospital.

• Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700) was a nun who founded the first school in Montreal in 1658. She was canonized in 1982.• Mance & Bourgeoys are known as « the mothers

of the holy city of Ville-Marie (Montréal) ».

FRANÇOIS DE MONTMORENCY LAVAL(1623 – 1708)

• 1659: arrived in New France and founded the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 for the formation of priests.• In 1659, there were only 2,200 habitants

(colonists) in New France.

• 1674: the Diocese of Québec is created and Laval becomes its first Bishop at the age of 36.• April 3, 2014: canonized by Pope

Francis.

THE BRITISH CONQUEST• 1755 – 1764: Seven Year’s War

(« French and Indian War »; « War of the Conquest »).• September 13, 1759: Battle of the

Plains of Abraham (Fall of Québec).• September 1760: Capture of Montréal.• 1763: Treaty of Paris ends the war.

This treaty and the Quebec Act of 1774 guaranteed freedom of religion for Catholics in British North America.

FRANCE +

BRITAIN =

CANADA

THE FRENCH

AND INDIAN

WAR

NEW FRANCE (1534 – 1763)1. The social institutions of New France (churches, hospitals,

schools, etc.) were founded by Roman Catholic believers (priests, nuns, monks, missionaries, etc.) for the express purpose of furthering the Catholic faith in France’s portion of the New World.

2. During this period, the Catholic Church could largely be described as a missionary enterprise, slowly structuring itself and the Canadien society of which it was part. Indeed, so many priests were graduating from seminary that many were sent elsewhere in North America and the world as missionaries. In 1960, there were 5,000 Québécois missionaries serving around the world.

LOWER CANADA &QUÉBEC

(1791 – 1867)

BRITISH NORTH

AMERICA

(1820)

18TH-CENTURY REVOLUTIONS

1776 1789

QUEBEC CONSERVATISMKING GEORGE III

OF ENGLANDPOPE

PIUS VI

LOWER CANADA & QUÉBEC (1791 – 1867)

1. Following the Conquest, the Bishops of Québec support the British Regime, and are given a free hand when it comes to the internal governance of the French-Canadian population. The free practice of Catholicism is assured, as is the French language and the use of the French code of civil law.

2. By supporting the British Regime and enjoying its protection, the Catholic Church in Québec became the guardian of the political status quo.

FOUNDING PROVINCE OF THE DOMINION OF CANADA (1867)

THE QUIET REVOLUTION

(1960s)

MAURICE DUPLESSIS (1890 – 1959)• Prime Minister of Québec (1936-39; 1944-59); 5

terms of office.• Leader of Union Nationale party (Conservative).• « The Great Darkness ».• Placed schools, orphanages and hospitals in the

care of religious orders of the Catholic Church.• « Heaven is Blue, Hell is Red ».• Duplessis Orphans. 20,000 « orphan » children

were falsely certified as mentally ill in order that the religious orders caring for them could receive more money in federal subsidies.

WHAT HAPPENED?• Québec was once North America’s most strongly anchored local

« Christendom ».• Québec is now North America’s most highly dechristianized society.• Highest rate of divorce and cohabitation in Canada. In 2002, more

than half of all births were to never-married mothers.• Between 1971-91, marriage rates plunged by 49 %.• APPROVAL OF: • Euthanasia: 77 %• Abortion as a personal choice: 80 %

• Weekly church (Catholic) attendance in 2009: 9 %

WHAT HAPPENED?SECULARIZATION THESIS

• Working class alienation.• Secularist ideologies.• Urbanization & industrialization.• Cultural pluralism.• Expansion of the state and

displacement of the Church from its social roles.

« INTERNALIST » PERSPECTIVE

• Michael Gauvreau• A lack of clarity on what the

Church is and on how one should live as a Christian caused the Church to implode.• « paradigms of discourse »• Due to a lack of credible

ideological enemies within society, competing Catholic self-definitions tended to combat each other.

WHAT HAPPENED?

• Jean Drapeau: mayor of Montreal (1954-57; 1960-86)• 1966: inauguration of the

Montreal Metro.• 1967: International and

Universal Exposition.• 1976: Summer Olympics.

WHAT HAPPENED?• Nationalism: Québec’s « coming of age » and

self-assertion over against the influence of both English Canada and the Catholic Church.• 1960: election of Jean Lesage as Premier of

Québec. State control of social institutions and programs. Creation of Ministries of Health Care and Education.• 1968: formation of the Parti Québécois by René

Lévesque.• 1976: Election of René Lévesque as Premier of

Québec. • Sovereignty referendums (1980; 1995).• 1991: formation of the Bloc Québécois.• 2000: deconfessionalization of schools.

NOW WHAT?

• Religious & cultural pluralism.• Bouchard-Taylor Commission

(2008).• Québec Charter of Values (2013).• « New Evangelization »