The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB; french: Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada) is the national assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in Canada. It was founded in 1943, and was officially recognized by the Holy See in 1948. Since the Second Vatican Council, it became part of a worldwide network of episcopal conferences, established in 1965. Until 1977, it was called the Canadian Catholic Conference, when the present name was adopted. According to its statutes, together the bishops exercise certain

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

functions for Catholics in Canada, respecting the autonomy of each bishop in the service of his particular church. Through the work of its members, the conference is involved in matters of national and international scope in areas such as

ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

and interfaith dialogue, social justice, aid to developing countries, the protection of human life, liturgy and Christian education. It also provides the bishops with a forum where they can share their experience and insight on the life of the church and the major events that shape society. The members of the conference include all diocesan bishops in Canada and those equivalent to them in law, all

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

s, and auxiliary bishops. Also included in the conference are titular bishops of any rite within the Catholic Church who exercise in the territory a special office assigned to them by the Apostolic See or by the conference.

General secretariat

To assist them in their pastoral work, the bishops have established a permanent bilingual secretariat in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, which includes various offices and services. In the Ottawa offices of the CCCB, a staff of about 20 people, laypersons,

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in p ...

and religious, are at the service of the bishops. The secretariat assists in coordinating activities and information, and in maintaining contacts with the Holy See and other Episcopal conferences, as well as with churches, ecclesial communities, faith groups and government authorities at the national and international levels. It also works in collaboration with the four regional Episcopal assemblies in Canada.

Episcopal commissions and Aboriginal Council

Episcopal commissions and one council are at the service of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Each commission specializes in one pastoral area, to guide and support the bishops in their ministry. Driven by the work and expertise of four bishops and one secretary (consultants and observers can also join the groups), each commission studies current events, analyses the needs for the Church in Canada, and organizes projects aimed at supporting Christian communities. Six of the commissions are national – formed by bishops equally distributed between the French and English sectors – while the five others are named "sectoral" because they are divided depending on the language of the member bishops. Three of those commissions are from the English sector, while two originate from the French sector. The

Catholic Aboriginal Council The Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council (CCAC), established in 1998 by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, encourages Aboriginal (Indigenous) leadership in the Christian community, supports healing and reconciliation, and advises the bish ...

encourages Aboriginal leadership in the Christian community. CCCB Publications is the official publishing arm of the Canadian bishops.

Indigenous Reconciliation Fund

In February 2022, the Canadian Bishops announced the establishment of an Indigenous Reconciliation Fund, which will accept contributions from the 73 dioceses across the country. The announcement follows the organization's $30 million financial pledge to support healing and reconciliation initiatives for residential school survivors, their families, and communities. Rosella Kinoshameg, an elder of Ontario’s Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation, will be one of three Indigenous directors of the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund. She said in February 2022 that the fund represented a chance to forge new relationships between the Catholic Church and Indigenous Canadians.

List of presidents

*2021–present: Raymond Poisson, Bishop of Saint-Jerome and Mont Laurier *2019–2021 : Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg *2017–2019 :

Lionel Gendron __TOC__ Lionel may refer to: Name *Lionel (given name) Places *Lionel, Lewis, a village in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland *Lionel Town, Jamaica, a settlement Brands and enterprises *Lionel, LLC, an American designer and importer of toy trains and mo ...

, Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil *2015-2017 : David Crosby, Bishop of Hamilton *2013-2015 : Paul-André Durocher, Metropolitan Archbishop of

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...

*2011-2013 :

Richard Smith Richard Smith may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Richard Penn Smith (1799–1854), American playwright * Richard Smith (silent film director) (1886–1937), American silent film director * Richard Smith (screenwriter), Scottish screenwriter, ...

, Metropolitan Archbishop of Edmonton *2009-2011 :

Pierre Morissette Joseph Paul Pierre Morissette (born November 22, 1944) is the Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, Canada. He was formerly bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baie-Comeau. Morissette was born in Thet ...

, Bishop of Saint-Jérôme *2007-2009 :

James Weisgerber Vernon James Weisgerber (born May 1, 1938) is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the retired sixth Archbishop of Winnipeg, serving from August 2000 until October 2013. Early life and education Weisgerber was born in Vibank ...

, Metropolitan Archbishop of Winnipeg *2005-2007 : André Gaumond, Metropolitan Archbishop of Sherbrooke *2003-2005 : Brendan O'Brien, Metropolitan Archbishop of St. John's *2001-2003 :

Jacques Berthelet Jacques Berthelet (24 October 1934 – 25 January 2019) was a Canadian Roman Catholic bishop. Berthelet was born in Canada and was ordained to the priesthood in 1962. He was Superior General of the Clerics of Saint Viator from 1984 to 1986. ...

, Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil *1999-2001 : Gerald Wiesner, Bishop of Prince George *1997-1999 :

Jean-Claude Turcotte Jean-Claude Turcotte () (26 June 1936 – 8 April 2015) was a Canadian Roman Catholic cardinal. Upon his elevation into the cardinalate he was made the Cardinal-Priest of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Canadian Martyrs. He was ...

, Metropolitan Archbishop of Montreal *1995-1997 :

Francis Spence Francis Stephens Spence (March 29, 1850 — March 8, 1917) was an Irish-Canadian politician, prohibitionist, teacher, and journalist. Spence was born in County Donegal, Ireland, one of 12 children. His family emigrated to Canada West in 186 ...

, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kingston *1993-1995 : Jean-Guy Hamelin, Bishop of Rouyn-Noranda *1991-1993 : Marcel Gervais, Metropolitan Archbishop of Ottawa *1989-1991 : Robert Lebel, Bishop of Valleyfield *1987-1989 : James Hayes, Metropolitan Archbishop of Halifax *1985-1987 :

Bernard Hubert Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

, Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil *1983-1985 :

John Sherlock John Sherlock ( – 25 July 1794) was a Spanish brigadier general in the Ultonia Regiment. He successfully defended Melilla during a 100-day siege by Moroccan troops. John was the son of Peter Sherlock, who had been made a baronet and knight b ...

, Bishop of London *1981-1983 :

Henri Légaré Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the ' List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Mo ...

, Metropolitan Archbishop of Grouard-McLennan *1979-1981 :

Joseph McNeil Joseph Alfred McNeil (born March 25, 1942) is a retired Major general (United States), major general in the United States Air Force who is best known for being a member of the Greensboro Four; a group of African American college students who, on ...

, Metropolitan Archbishop of Edmonton *1977-1979 : Joseph Ouellet, Metropolitan Archbishop of Rimouski *1975-1977 :

Gerald Carter Gerald Louis Carter (born June 19, 1957) is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 9th round of the 1980 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 190-lb. wide receiver from Texas A&M, Carter played in 8 NF ...

, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto *1973-1975 : Jean-Marie Fortier, Metropolitan Archbishop of Sherbrooke *1971-1973 : William Power, Bishop of Antigonish *1970-1971 : Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, Metropolitan Archbishop of Ottawa *1967-1970 :

Alexander Carter Alexander Carter (16 April 1909 – 17 February 2002) was a Canadian bishop, who served as head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario from 1958 to 1985. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, the brother of Cardinal ...

, Bishop of Sault-Sainte-Marie *1964-1967 :

George Flahiff George Bernard Flahiff, CC, CSB (October 26, 1905 – August 22, 1989) was a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Winnipeg from 1961 to 1982, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969. Early life and e ...

, Archbishop of Winnipeg *1960-1964 : Joseph Berry, Metropolitan Archbishop of Halifax *1959-1960 : Paul Bernier, Bishop of Gaspè *1958-1959 : James Cardinal McGuigan, Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria del Popolo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto

References

External links