At least 4 Catholic churches were destroyed on Indigenous land in a week

[Demovictory9]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/29/americas/canada-church-fires-indigenous-land/index.html

Canadian authorities are investigating multiple fires that destroyed four Catholic churches on Indigenous land in the past week.

They are the latest in a string of recent events affecting the country's Indigenous communities. The churches were destroyed as Canada confronts its history of systemic abuse of Indigenous communities with the recent discoveries of hundreds of human remains at the sites of two former boarding schools, which were operated by Catholic religious groups.

Police and firefighters responded early Saturday morning to a fire at the St. Ann's Catholic Church on Upper Similkameen Indian Band land. Within the hour, someone called police to report that the Chopaka Catholic Church on Lower Similkameen Indian Band land was also burning, said Sgt. Jason Bayda of the Penticton South Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Authorities described the fires on Saturday and two other fires that took place last week as suspicious, Bayda said in a statement. The investigations are ongoing with no arrests or charges, police said.

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While authorities have not discussed a possible motive for the fires, the Lower Similkameen Indian Band's chief and council said in a statement about the fires on Saturday that they understand the "grief and rage" felt by people across Indian country in the wake of the discovery of remains of hundreds of children on the grounds of a former school in the southern interior of British Columbia.

[keithbvadu2]

1. 'Coincidence'

'Coincidence'

[Voltaire2]

2. They were children.

The RCC should demolish all of their churches on Native American lands as an act of contrition.

[Baitball Blogger]

11. +1

[malaise]

28. and get the fuck off their land

that is all

[rationalcalgarian]

3. Remember those words

"When Father Sylvester Obi Ibekwe heard about the fire at Sacred Heart Church, he quickly drove there and realized the historic building was completely destroyed.
"The Church is gone. All I could see were ashes, ruins, rubbles. How could that be? What happened? What can I do now? I felt helpless and powerless," he wrote in a message to parishioners. Ibekwe is the parish priest of the Catholic Parishes of Penticton, which includes Sacred Heart Church."

Helpless and powerless.
Remember those words, Sylvester.

[TraceNC]

4. Here's his bio.

https://www.catholicpenticton.org/about-us/our-pastor/

He occasionally returns to his native Nigeria to help those being targeted by Boko Haram. So it appears he has experience facing down terrorism there, too.

[Voltaire2]

6. Sure, if it's Muslims who are killing children.

[TraceNC]

7. And now he's dealing with a second

group of terrorists. What a life!

[Voltaire2]

8. So he's taking on the RCC?

You do understand that there are now at least 1000 dead children forcibly taken from their families found in mass graves who died while in the custody of the RCC, right?

[TraceNC]

12. Of course. That's at the heart of the story.

Is burning churches an act of terrorism or not? Seems most of us have always considered it just that.

[Crunchy Frog]

15. I'd say it really depends on the context.

Is tearing down monuments an act of terrorism too? Some people would certainly like to classify it as such.

[TraceNC]

18. And in post 16, you laid out their justification.

[Crunchy Frog]

9. I'm not sure I'd go quite that far in describing the RCC.

But it can certainly be validly argued that the term is appropriate.

[TraceNC]

13. You could make that argument.

Then make the one that burning churches isn’t terrorism. Include some of the burnings and bombings of churches here in the US in the last 70 years (at least), if you can do it. I certainly wouldn’t try, but I’ll read the case you make.

[Crunchy Frog]

16. I'd say it very much depends on the context.

White supremacists bombing a black church is obviously terrorism. What's been happening in Canada may more resemble the tearing down of Confederate monuments.

[TraceNC]

17. Ah, so political violence "in context" is okay.

And since there’s no universally agreed-upon “in context,” that means everyone is equally justified, in their own terms, in condoning political violence.

[Crunchy Frog]

19. Who was the victim of this "violence"?

Are you one of the ones who think BLM are terrorists?

[TraceNC]

22. BLM wasn't responsible for the violence.

At all. Strange that you’d try to tie them to violence when it was clearly agitators from their opponents. Why are you trying to make them responsible for it? Odd.

[Crunchy Frog]

24. There is a big difference between property destruction and "violence".

There were a HUGE number of posts last year excusing or even defending property damage as a response to justified rage.

I did not agree with that position, as I feel that destruction of property in that context would be counterproductive. I would never EVER equate it with terrorism though.

Many people on the right did want to classify it as such. From what you've posted, you seem to be of the same mindset.

And BLM protesters absolutely were responsible for the destruction of some Confederate monuments, which I believe you would classify as terrorism.

At any rate , you appear to be very, very upset about some property destruction taking place in Canada right now, and are therefore choosing to equate it with "violence" and terrorism.

I think *most* people here understand that it's a reaction to the rage that indigenous people are feeling over acts of cultural and physical genocide carried out against them by the RCC. Especially with the recent discovery of hundreds of children in unmarked graves.

I'm very sorry that you feel so personally victimized by the anger of indigenous people in Canada. I hope you can learn to move past it.

[TraceNC]

25. You didn't say some BLM protestors

You said “BLM.” Really disgusting that you would equate BLM in general with violence. I’m appalled to see that on a Democratic website.

I suppose that’s why you tried to make this about me being personally victimized and upset (or whatever your accusation was). That’s just an attempt at deflection from what you revealed about your beliefs related to BLM.

[Crunchy Frog]

26. I didn't equate BLM with violence, you did. I just showed you how your own train of logic led there

[TraceNC]

27. In a discussion about political violence

out of nowhere you brought up BLM. Not “some members” or any other wording that indicated you were only talking about certain individuals. You said “BLM.” Nobody was talking about the BLM movement until you dragged them into this. That’s exactly what happened. Deny it again if you wish but I’m done debating something that’s so plainly obvious.

[Crunchy Frog]

30. I wasn't discussing political violence, I was discussing destruction of property.

You are the one who has been equating property destruction with "terrorism" and political violence. And apparently your violent terrorists are oppressed indigenous people in Canada who are reacting to generations of abuse by the owners of the property that you're so concerned about.

I tried to give you an analogy to help you understand what you were really saying, but I was obviously unsuccessful.

Do you still think that tearing down Confederate monuments is terrorism?

[Hekate]

20. Bodies. Of children. Taken from their parents. Entrusted to the care of Mother Church.

Do with that what you will.

Oh, I see you already have. Carry on.

[TraceNC]

23. Where did I excuse that?

I’m not the one condoning violence of any kind. That person can be found in your nearest mirror.

[Scrivener7]

5. Can't say I blame them.

[Arazi]

10. Too bad so sad

Not feeling a lot of sympathy

[maxsolomon]

14. Part of the Okanogan I hope to see one day.

With the record-breaking temps up there, couldn't have taken much to start a blaze.

[Hekate]

21. Record-breaking temperatures & drought conditions are notorious for fires

That’s as good an explanation as any. Hope no one got hurt.

[Lancero]

29. God does, afterall, work in mysterious ways.