On February 24 the University of Victoria’s Centre for Studies in Religion and Society hosted “The Prophetic Vision of Bishop Remi De Roo: A Symposium” that drew handsomely on an impressive array of talent and experience embodied in the likes of a former senator and ambassador, a foreign affairs maven, social justice activists, theologians, an Anglican bishop, a Muslim pharmacist-entrepreneur, among others.
Dr. Michael W. Higgins, Basilian Distinguished Fellow of Contemporary Catholic Thought at the University of St. Michael’s College delivered the keynote address.
“We could not do much better than to look to Remi De Roo as a model of the synodal bishop that Pope Francis yearns for the church,” says Higgins.
“He was a bishop accustomed to listening, attuned to subsidiarity, active in empowering the laity, deeply collegial at heart, Gospel-focussed in his ministry. His long service as a bishop was not without its flaws, misjudgements, and omissions but it remained throughout the decades a beacon of honesty and authenticity.
On the cusp of a new era of church life and self-understanding, we can all benefit from Bishop De Roo’s struggles, steady witness and personal courage.”
The complete text of Dr. Higgins’ remarks is available on his blog.