Deacon Rennie Nahanee, a Squamish First Nation Deacon and the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s co-ordinator of First Nations ministry, is one of two people chosen to represent Canadian clergy at a conference in June. Nahanee, a Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCAB) adviser on relations with Indigenous people, is representing Canada along with Bishop Mark Hagemoen of Saskatoon June 18-21. The pair will give a report at the Anglophone Safeguarding Conference, which was created in 2004 as a response to sexual abuse by clergy in an effort to make Catholic parishes and schools safer. He’s not sure he’ll meet Pope Francis, but he knows what he’ll tell him if he gets the chance.

“I’d certainly ask him about his thoughts on a visit to Canada. I would tell him why I think it’s important. His words could sway other Canadians to think about reconciliation. Us, by ourselves, in the Church, don’t move a lot of people. Someone like Pope Francis could.” (The Catholic Register)