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We've been in negotiation with the [federal government's] Department of Indian Affairs and Department of Justice around participation in alternative dispute-resolution processes," he told ENI. "The government has invited us to be part of some of those processes."

The federal government had been approached about limiting the church's financial liability, Archdeacon Boyles said. "We have said that our assets are so limited that it would be very difficult for us to participate unless there were a cap on our liability going into one of those [processes]. We are aware that our assets come nowhere near the amounts that are claimed from the church."

Three other churches were involved in the government's residential school program—the United Church of Canada, the Presbyterian Church of Canada and the Roman Catholic Church—and also face litigation. About 130 residential schools were financed by the government and run by churches for almost a century. The schools were closed by the 1960s.

"We [the churches] meet together regularly, and have been negotiating with the government together," Boyles said. "The four churches sit down with representatives of the two [government] departments."

Asked by ENI what effect the problem was having on the ACC's present financial position, Archdeacon Boyles said: "For 2000 we've continued in our normal way of budgeting—funding all the national programs of the church. We are not sure about 2001, but it may be possible to continue through the next year as well."

That depends primarily on the extent of the legal costs and settlement costs, and the continuing contributions from Anglicans and from the 30 dioceses across the country.

Church members are being informed of the situation. "Our attempt at the moment is to inform Anglicans in many ways, through the media, but also through internal publications and the networks that we have—sharing the information and facts with them," Archdeacon Boyles said. "Perhaps later we will enlist them in developing a strategy with which we can approach the government to put forward our case and concerns."

"We continue in the litigation to defend our cases, but our primary goal as a general synod is in the area of healing and reconciliation for those who have been damaged by the residential schools," Archdeacon Boyles told ENI. "Our second goal is that of survival so that we can be around to contribute as we can to the healing and reconciliation."Copyright © 2000 Ecumenical News International. Used with permission.

For continuing coverage of this issue, see the Anglican Journal, the ACC's monthly newspaper (its

October 1999 issue provides especially good background information on the abuse allegations and their implications for the church.) See also the

ACC News page and the

Anglican News Service.

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January (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44