Atlantic Catholic - Diocese of Antigonish

The Atlantic Catholic — August 7, 2010National NewsCardinal’s Departure To Leave ‘Gaping Hole’By Deborah GyapongOTTAWA (CCN) — History hasyet to determine the legacy CardinalMarc Ouellet has left Quebec andwill leave in his new role as Prefectof the Congregation for Bishops saythose who know him.But his long-time friends reveala much different picture than themainstream media’s depiction ofa man ambitious for the papacy, ahardliner out of touch with Quebec,and a harsh “ayatollah” who willbe remembered for opposingabortion.When Cardinal Ouellet becameArchbishop of Quebec in 2002,people initially viewed him—mistakenly — as an outsider,as “the man from Rome” sent tostraighten things out, said OttawaArchbishop Terrence Prendergast.McGill University historian JohnZucchi described Cardinal Ouellet,66, as an insider who not only livedthrough the Quiet Revolution —he was at the Grand Seminary inMontreal during its “cusp” — butas someone who deeply felt itsimpact upon his immediate family.Only he, of eight children, and his88-year old mother, still practise theCatholic faith.ObjectiveleaderCardinal Ouellet’s years as aSulpician missionary in SouthAmerica, and his studies in Romeunder the great Swiss theologianHans Urs von Balthazar exposedCardinal Ouellet to differentperspectives, Zucchi said. Whenhe returned to Quebec in the late1980s to teach at Montreal’s GrandSeminary, he “came back with anew objectivity on the situation inthe Church,” making him both aninsider and an outsider.Zucchi said Cardinal Ouellet’sreturn as archbishop was not that ofa “hit man to fix everything,” but arecognition that there are “no quickfixes in the Church,” that draconianmeasures could not change things,only humility and paying the priceof a long, arduous path to restorethe place of religious faith.Many of the Quebec episcopacyhe described as “still deeplymired in the aftermath of theQuiet Revolution” that requiredthe Church to adjust to the newlaicism and agnosticism of Quebecsociety.“[Cardinal Ouellet] wasn’tof that sort,” Farrow said. “Hepointed out that Quebec societycannot flourish — not for long —without recovering its roots and itsattachment to the Christian Gospeland he was unafraid to make thatclaim even on very controversialmatters.”In Cardinal Ouellet’s criticism ofthe relativist Ethics and ReligiousCulture (ERC) the provinceimposed on even private schools,Cardinal Ouellet pioneered a newattitude towards the relationship ofchurch and state, Farrow said.“He may not always have goneabout it in the most diplomatic ways,but he certainly has gone about itwith courage and comprehension ofthe situation,” Farrow said.Paying thepriceCardinal Ouellet also paid aprice for his uncompromisingdefence of human life. Zucchisaid he has never seen any Churchleader attacked so derisively andviciously.“The silence of the hierarchy inQuebec spoke volumes,” Zucchisaid, who questioned why nonecame forward publicly to showsolidarity with him.The attacks against CardinalOuellet, who had no power, pointedto a fear in Quebec society of“anyone who has the courage tospeak the truth,” the historiansaid.One bishop who did standpublicly with him was ArchbishopPrendergast who traveled to QuebecCity in late May to face the Quebecmedia at a joint news conference.“Given that many bishopsprefer to lay low on controversialtopics, he appears harsh for simplyspeaking the truths of our faithwithout compromise,” ArchbishopPrendergast said. “Dealingpastorally with people who findthemselves conflicted happens atthe individual and parochial level,but a bishop should proclaim thetruth fearlessly and unequivocallyCardinal Marc Ouellet celebrates Mass at Chapel Island Nova Scotia duringthe annual St. Anne mission. the new Prefect of the Congregation forBishops will be remembered in Quebec for his role in the 2008 InternationalEucharistic Congress. (Lazzuri photo)and I admire him for that.”“The Christian faith has tobe handed on as it has beenreceived,” the archbishop said.“So every bishop by necessity is aconservative.”But Archbishop Prendergast,who has known Cardinal Ouelletsince the days they were both youngpriests who never expected tobecome bishops, dismissed claimsthe cardinal is a “moralist” or anayatollah. He described him as ashepherd. “He believes that onlythose who are evangelized,[who]have had an encounter with Christpersonally or through contact withhis Church, will be able to accepthis teaching on the life issues.”“But given that Quebecers havefled the Church, he needs to gettheir attention so that they willcome to inquire of Christ and oneway is that of his counter-culturalpreaching pointing out to peoplethat having the highest suicide rates,broken marriages and woundedfamilies are not indicators of the‘good life’ people thought they wereacquiring when they bought intothe secularist agenda,” ArchbishopPrendergast said.EncounteringChristZucchi emphasizedCardinalOuellet was not an ideologue.Instead, he wants people to have anencounter with Christ, an encounterwith the Eucharist.Cardinal Ouellet will beremembered for the impact ofthe 2008 Eucharistic Congressand for his reaching out to youth,through the Montee Jeunesse/YouthSummits, Zucchi said.“It’s not a massive group ofyoung people, but a significantfollowing, whose fruits we will seein the future,” he said.“Several times during thatmagnificent week of June 2008,Cardinal Ouellet stated emphaticallythat the Congress marked a ‘turningpoint,’” said Basilian Father Rosica,CEO of the Salt and Light MediaFoundation in an online tribute. “Atthe lively Saturday evening prayervigil with his devoted young people,the Cardinal said that he felt as if hehad been ‘raised from the dead.’”“What fitting words to describewhat is afoot in Quebec: aresurrection of sorts!” Father Rosicasaid. “Cardinal Marc Ouellet wasGod’s instrument of resurrection atthis moment in Canadian history.”While Cardinal Ouellet wasaccused of taking a hard line stanceto curry favour in the Vatican,Zucchi, who has known him sincethe late 1980s when he taught atMontreal’s Grand Seminary, saidCardinal Ouellet in fact sufferedfor his orthodoxy. Some observersviewed his 1994 transfer to asmaller seminary in Edmonton asa demotion. Zucchi dismissedcriticisms of Cardinal Ouellet asPage 11ambitious for power.“He was a nobody until 1999.He had no ambitions,” Zucchisaid, describing him as a “nobodyinstitutionally” with “no pretensionsto be anybody.”In 1999, Pope John Paul IIappointed him secretary of theCouncil for Christian Unity andmade him bishop. In 2002, CardinalOuellet was “completely shocked”to be named Archbishop of Quebec,Zucchi said.A look to thefutureIn the next two to four years, halfof Quebec’s dioceses will becomevacant due to bishops’ reachingretirement age. In his new role,Cardinal Ouellet will play a key rolein finding bishops to form a “unitedepiscopate that is capable of takingon the challenges that now have tobe faced,” Farrow said.Father Rosica sees CardinalOuellet’s impact going far beyondQuebec.“He is a professor of theologyand has worked in the formationof priests. He brings pastoralexperience of a bishop of aresidential see,” Father Rosicawrote on the Salt and Light TVblog. “He knows the challengesof secularism, quietism, religiousindifference and atheism.”“He also knows the deeplongings, hopes and pains of humanhearts, especially the hearts ofpriests and bishops,” he wrote.Many say it will be hard to findsomeone of Cardinal Ouellet’sstature to replace him as Archbishopof Quebec and Primate of Canada.While his promotion is widely seenas good for the Universal Church,he will leave a gaping hole inQuebec.He’ll be remembered for beingthe first of the major episcopalvoices to challenge the status quo,and call Quebec to repentanceand to recover its lost heritage inthe faith,” said Farrow. “I think avoice in Quebec was needed andhe was it.”As Archbishop of Quebec andprimate of all of Canada, it was“only appropriate that he wouldhave a national voice.”