A Look at Catholicism in Canada

This look is the fruit of an interview by Mr. John L. Allen Jr. with Italian Archbishop Luigi Ventura, the current Apostolic Nuncio of Canada.

Before the interview one Mr. Allen briefly set things into context:

the construction of a vibrant Catholic sub-culture, more inclined to push back against Canada's prevailing secular consensus.

At the level of senior leadership, the transformation has been remarkably rapid. Of Canada's 18 archdioceses, 12 are now led by bishops appointed since Italian Archbishop Luigi Ventura, the current Apostolic Nuncio, arrived in 2001. Seven of those new bishops were appointed or installed in 2007 alone. (The real number is actually eight, since Archbishop Michael Miller was also named coadjutor in Vancouver that year, and should take over in relatively short order.) The impact has been especially noticeable among the country's English-speaking bishops, with additional appointments in Quebec likely in the next few years.

This column Mr. Allen posted on the last Friday in May 2008.