Remi Joseph De Roo (February 24, 1924 – February 1, 2022) was a Canadian

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the

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. He was

Bishop of Victoria The Bishop of Victoria, Hong Kong was (from 1849 to 1951) the Ordinary of a corporation sole including Hong Kong and South China that ministered to 20,000 Anglicans. Bishops *18491865 (ret.): George SmithHandbook to the Diocese of Victoria (Hong ...

from 1962 to 1999 and the longest-serving Catholic bishop in Canada at the time of his retirement. He was also the last living bishop who had attended all sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

. He was notable for his advocacy of social justice and for making investments that impacted diocesan finances.

Early life

De Roo was born in Swan Lake, Manitoba, on February 24, 1924. He was the second of eight or nine children; his sister became a Ursuline nun and his younger brother also became a priest. His first language was

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

. De Roo attended

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

at St. Boniface seminary in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

starting when he was 15 years old. On June 8, 1950, he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in his hometown. He subsequently undertook

postgraduate studies Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

at the

Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (PUST), also known as the ''Angelicum'' or ''Collegio Angelico'' (in honor of its patron, the ''Doctor Angelicus'' Thomas Aquinas), is a pontifical university located in the historic center of R ...

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, obtaining a

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church, being the ecclesiastical equ ...

degree in 1952.

Presbyteral ministry

De Roo's first pastoral assignment was as assistant parish priest at Holy Cross Parish in Winnipeg's Norwood neighbourhood shortly after his ordination. He then became diocesan director of

Catholic Action Catholic Action is a movement of Catholic laity, lay people within the Catholic Church which advocates for increased Catholic influence on society. Catholic Action groups were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic cou ...

the following year, before serving as vice-chancellor of the Archdiocese of Saint Boniface and secretary to

Maurice Baudoux Maurice Baudoux (July 10, 1902 – July 1, 1988) was a Canadian priest and the Archbishop of Saint Boniface, Manitoba, Canada. Born in La Louvière, Belgium, he came to Canada when he was nine. He studied at Collège universitaire de Saint ...

. He eventually became parish priest at Holy Cross in 1960, his final position before becoming bishop in 1962. He ultimately served as a priest in Saint Boniface for 12 years.

Episcopal ministry

De Roo was appointed as the thirteenth

on October 29, 1962. The see had been vacant since March of that year, when James Michael Hill died. He was consecrated bishop on December 14, 1962, at

Saint Boniface Cathedral St. Boniface Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic cathedral in St. Boniface, Winnipeg, St. Boniface, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is an important building in Winnipeg, and is the principal church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Boniface, ...

in Winnipeg, with Maurice Baudoux serving as the principal consecrator. He was installed in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

six days later on December 20. He was the youngest Catholic bishop at the time, as well as the first Bishop of Victoria born in

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...

. He was also the youngest Catholic bishop in history when he was appointed. During his tenure as diocesan bishop, De Roo was known as a strong proponent of

activism Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...

and liberation theology and was a critic of

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

. He was the main force behind the 1983 Canadian bishops' statement "Ethical Reflections on the Economic Crisis". That document stated that the "goal of serving the human needs of all people in our society must take precedence over the maximization of profits and growth"" He also supported the

ordination of women The ordination of women to Minister of religion, ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination ...

and

married priests Clerical marriage is the practice of allowing Christian clergy (those who have already been ordained) to marry. This practice is distinct from allowing married persons to become clergy. Clerical marriage is admitted among Protestants, including bo ...

. His decision to broach the latter subject during a lunch with

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

and other bishops in 1994 drew the ire of the pope, while his address to a conference in the US calling for a dialogue about the former resulted in De Roo being summoned to Rome in 1986 and reprimanded by

Joseph Ratzinger Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as po ...

, the prefect of the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...

at the time. De Roo co-wrote the book ''In the Eye of the Catholic Storm'' with a former nun in 1992. The decision by Catholic newspapers in the nearby

Archdiocese of Vancouver The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Vancouver () is a Roman Catholic Latin archdiocese that includes part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is the Holy Rosary Cathedral (Vancouver), Holy R ...

('' The B.C. Catholic'') as well as

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

(''

The Catholic Register ''The Catholic Register'' is a Canadian weekly newspaper published by the Archdiocese of Toronto. Founded in 1893, it is the oldest English-language Catholic publication in Canada. Based in Toronto, Ontario, and circulated nationally, it is publ ...

'') not to run ads promoting the book made national headlines, underscoring the friction between conservative and liberal Catholics. At around the time of his retirement, he intended to address an international convention of married Catholic priests in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. However, he ultimately backed out after the Vatican told him not to proceed. De Roo was at the centre of a financial scandal that left his diocese nearly bankrupt. Over a 15-year period, despite being a critic of capitalism he made a series of large investments in real estate and in a horse-breeding ranch without adhering to canonical requirements for consent from the Vatican, consultation with diocesan clergy, or financial record-keeping. When the ventures failed the diocese was left with a debt of over $17 million.Victoria Times Colonist
/ref> De Roo was not accused of fraud but did not obtain Vatican approval for any of these transactions. Vatican approval is required for transactions over $3.5 million. In May 2000, De Roo issued an apology to all Catholics in his former diocese which was printed in parish bulletins. In the apology he wrote that "I am truly sorry and beg your forgiveness." The diocese sold off assets and issued bonds to clear the debt. The diocese eventually sold the land it owned in

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

in November 2006. This allowed it to pay off its debts completely, including to the many parishioners who had purchased bonds. De Roo was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing by a jury in the civil action, which determined that he had actually made a sound investment.

Second Vatican Council

De Roo attended all four sessions of

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilic ...

and was the last living bishop who had attended the council. This experience deeply affected him and he referred to himself as "a pilgrim of the Second Vatican Council". He described attending the sessions as "a voyage of discovery that would radically alter my whole outlook on reality" and "it was indeed a time of euphoria". After his retirement, De Roo continued to travel and lecture about Vatican II and gave the keynote address, "Rebuild My Church – A Vatican Council Father Shares an Inspired Vision", at a

Call to Action Call to Action (CTA) is an American progressivism in the United States, progressive organization that advocates a variety of changes in the Catholic Church. Call To Action's goals are to change church disciplines and teachings in such areas as ma ...

conference in 2008.

Later life

After 37 years of serving as Bishop of Victoria, De Roo reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in February 1999. His resignation was accepted by Pope John Paul II less than one month later on March 11. He was the longest serving Canadian bishop at the time of his retirement. He subsequently remained on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

and retired near to

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

. De Roo continued to give lectures and minister into his nineties. He was also an

Enneagram of Personality The Enneagram of Personality, or simply the Enneagram, is a pseudoscientific model of the human psyche which is principally understood and taught as a typology of nine interconnected personality types. The origins and history of ideas assoc ...

teacher and co-authored a book on the subject in 2002. De Roo died on February 1, 2022, at the Mount St. Mary's nursing home in Victoria. He was 97 years old. He was the last surviving bishop to have participated in the Second Vatican Council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Roo, Remi Joseph 1924 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Canada Canadian anti-capitalists Canadian expatriates in Italy Liberation theologians Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from Northern Region, Manitoba Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Saint Boniface Roman Catholic bishops of Victoria in Canada University of Manitoba alumni