Portuguese procession goes ahead in Plateau despite secularism controversy

6 hours ago 11

More than 4,000 people took part in a Portuguese Catholic procession marking the feast of Santo Cristo in Plateau-Mont-Royal on Sunday — despite the fact that the Plateau borough denied a permit for the event, citing a new and expanded provincial secularism law prohibiting collective religious activities on public property.

Borough mayor Cathy Wong said in a weekend social media post that the procession would go ahead, with support from the Montreal police department to ensure the safety of participants.

“The procession is not a problem to deal with. It’s a tradition to be accompanied with sensitivity and respect,” she wrote.

Volunteers prepare a red carpet for a Portuguese Catholic procession, outside a church.

A large crowd of people outside a Portuguese church, watching a religious procession featuring a raised statue of Jesus.

A police cruiser tails a large group of people on a procession down a street.

The Festa do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres is a centuries-old Portuguese religious festival held the fifth Sunday after Easter; the procession was marking its 60th anniversary in Montreal. The event brings together families, neighbours and others “in a spirit of respect and peace,” Wong wrote.

“There is no praying on the march. Mainly it is a celebration of gratitude,” event organizer Emanuel Linhares said Sunday prior to the procession. “On such a march, silence is a sign of respect and gratitude.”

A few dozen musicians were also slated to be part of the procession, Linhares said.

A woman smiles as she holds an obscured flag, with people milling about on the sidewalk behind her.

Two people in a procession, carrying a Portuguese community flag.

The procession’s route began at the Santa Cruz Mission, a Catholic church on Rachel St. that has served Montreal’s Portuguese community since 1964. It was then expected to head north on Clark St. to Villeneuve St., then along Villeneuve to St-Urbain St. and south along St-Urbain back to the church.

“I am very, very happy that we have the weather we have,” Linhares said, predicting that the sunshine and the media coverage surrounding the permit denial could well bump up attendance. The event usually draws between 1,500 and 2,000 people.

A large crowd of people take part in an outdoor procession.

People take part in the annual Portuguese Santo Cristo procession in Montreal.

“Generations of Portuguese families have contributed to building the Plateau,” Wong said in her post. “They shaped our streets, our shops, our culture, our collective memory.

“But today, a law conceived by the government of Quebec creates bureaucratic obstacles for the district and ambiguities for celebrations that have always gone harmoniously.”

Wong said the new law, known as Bill 9, which was passed by the National Assembly on April 2, “creates confusion, weakens traditions and gives the worrying impression that our cultural communities will no longer be able to coexist without more legislation.”

People in Catholic attire stand in front of a raised statue of Jesus decorated with flowers during an outdoor procession.

A crowd of people in formal attire lead a raised statue of Jesus through a street.

The Plateau district’s permit teams “are required to enforce the laws in force.” But since the adoption of Bill 9, “our teams have been in a transition period, clarifying the powers of municipalities and districts in implementing the new law,” Wong explained.

The law “puts the borough of Plateau-Mont-Royal, our organizations and our communities in an unnecessarily complex situation,” she said.

People watch the annual Portuguese Santo Cristo procession in Montreal.

Linhares said he learned only on May 8, nine days before the procession, that a permit would be denied. “The Plateau has been very complicated on everything,” he said on Sunday.

He said he learned that other boroughs have authorized this type of march. In LaSalle, for instance, “today is a special day for the Sikh community,” he said.

Streets in LaSalle were closed for several hours on Sunday for the Khalsa Day Sikh parade, a religious and cultural event also called Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan.

“Policies are very different” from one borough to another, Linhares said.

“I am saying that we need to centralize all these things.”

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