Politician’s faith remembered
QUEBEC CITY, QC-"I said at the beginning of my career that I was guided by the hand of God," Claude Ryan told his audience at a conference on Faith and Public Policy in 2002. "It made the headlines. I have never repeated that in public, but I never retracted it, either."
Ryan, former Quebec liberal leader, journalist and respected academic, died February 9 from stomach cancer. He is remembered and honoured for the intellectual acuity he displayed as editor of Le Devoir from 1962-1978 and as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, defeating the sovereignist forces in the 1980 referendum vote.
Ryan's reputation as a man of faith and integrity was an overriding theme in the eulogies that poured in. His profound spirituality was foundational to his thinking. From 1945 to 1962, Ryan was general secretary of Action Catholique Canadienne, a lay movement for young intellectual Catholics.
He avidly studied the sermons and writings of John Henry Newman, an Anglican who converted to Catholicism in the 1800s. He began teaching a course on Catholic political and social thought in 2002 at McGill University, based largely on Newman's ideas. When he died, Ryan was in the process of translating some of Newman's work.
Those who knew him say his religious beliefs permeated his social policies and his dealings with people.
Antoine Robitaille, journalist at Le Devoir, writes, "Despite all the mocking about the 'hand of God' and the other religious jargon associated with him, Claude Ryan persisted in aligning himself with Catholic thought." This was the basis, according to the article, of the Christian values that were expressed in his spirit of tolerance, his work ethic and his concern for the poor.
Prime Minister Paul Martin echoes the observation that Ryan displayed "a commitment toward those less fortunate."
Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, a personal friend of Ryan's, writes: "Claude Ryan had an adult faith. He had given a great deal of thought to what it meant to be baptized and to be a disciple of Christ." According to Turcotte, "One of his strongest characteristics was his sense of service to God, his fellow citizens and the society in which he lived."
"Claude Ryan was one of the fairest men I have met in my life," says Glenn Smith, director of Christian Direction in Montreal. Smith was chair of the Protestant Commission of the Quebec Superior Council of Education and met regularly with Ryan while he was the Minister of Education.
"Ryan believed in defending the rights of the minority. He was always impressed with the level of parental involvement in Protestant religious education."
During his presentation at the Faith and Public Policy conference, Ryan spoke openly of the role of the church in society. "Religion cannot be confined indefinitely to the private sphere. Churches should be more present in public debates?A valueless society is unthinkable."
Ryan also affirmed his convictions about the importance of personal faith. "Freedom of conscience and religion are beyond the reach of public authority"True believers share their faith with others."
Ryan did share his faith, as Quebec Premier Jean Charest testified in an interview with the Montreal Gazette. Charest visited a sick Ryan in his home in January. "It was a very solemn moment for me," says Charest. "You could sense that there was a great deal of spirituality in what he was experiencing, and when I left his apartment and he walked me to the elevator, he offered prayers for my wife and children, whom he'd met a few times."
Ryan's funeral was held on February 13 at Notre Dame Basilica. He is survived by five children.
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