{{Short description|Canadian Catholic archbishop (1928–2023)}} {{good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox Christian leader | honorific_prefix = {{Pre-nominal styles|size=100%|HGm|MRevd}} | name = Adam Exner | honorific_suffix = OMI | title = Archbishop of Vancouver | image = | caption = | province = | diocese = | see = Vancouver | appointed = May 25, 1991 | term_start = August 15, 1991 | ended = January 10, 2004 | predecessor = James Carney | successor = Raymond Roussin | ordination = July 7, 1957 | ordained_by = Luigi Faveri | consecration = March 12, 1974 | consecrated_by = Henri Légaré | previous_post = {{unbulleted list|Bishop of Kamloops (1974–1982)|Archbishop of Winnipeg (1982–1991)}} | birth_date = {{birth date|1928|12|24}} | birth_place = {{nowrap|Killaly, Saskatchewan, Canada}} | death_date = {{death date and age|2023|09|05|1928|12|24}} | death_place = Grayson, Saskatchewan, Canada | buried = | denomination = Roman Catholic | alma_mater = {{ubl|Pontifical Gregorian University|University of Ottawa}} | motto = "To Serve As He Served"<ref name="RCAV bio">{{cite web|title=Archbishop Adam Exner, OMI|url=https://rcav.org/archbishop-adam-exner-omi/|accessdate=January 5, 2019|publisher=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220012818/https://rcav.org/archbishop-adam-exner-omi/|archivedate=February 20, 2020}}</ref> | coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Adam Exner.svg | module = {{Ordination|embed = yes | denomination = Roman Catholic | ordained deacon by = | date of diaconal ordination = | place of diaconal ordination = | ordained priest by = Luigi Faveri (Tivoli) | date of priestly ordination = July 7, 1957 | place of priestly ordination = Roviano, Rome, Italy | consecrated by = Henri Légaré (Grouard–McLennan) | co-consecrators = {{ubl|James Carney (Vancouver)|Charles Halpin (Regina)}} | date of consecration = March 12, 1974 | place of consecration = Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | elevated by = | date of elevation = | bishop 1 = Gerald Wiesner | consecration date 1 = February 22, 1993 | bishop 2 = David Monroe | consecration date 2 = March 12, 2002 | sources = <ref name="RCAV bio" /><ref name="CCCB obit">{{cite news|title=Death of the Most Reverend Adam Exner, O.M.I., Archbishop Emeritus of Vancouver|url=https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/death-of-the-most-reverend-adam-exner-o-m-i-archbishop-emeritus-of-vancouver/|date=September 6, 2023|accessdate=September 7, 2023|publisher=Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908004736/https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/death-of-the-most-reverend-adam-exner-o-m-i-archbishop-emeritus-of-vancouver/|archivedate=September 8, 2023}}</ref><ref name="ordained bishop">{{cite news|title=Bishop to be ordained|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-leader-post-colorful-ceremony-at-cen/143524760/|page=15|date=March 9, 1974|accessdate=September 20, 2020|newspaper=Regina Leader-Post|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922005931/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496247045/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Testimonies: Archbishop Emeritus Adam Exner, OMI (part 5)|url=https://rcav.org/testimonies-archbishop-emeritus-adam-exner-omi5/|accessdate=January 5, 2019|publisher=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413043943/https://rcav.org/testimonies-archbishop-emeritus-adam-exner-omi5/|archivedate=April 13, 2019}}</ref> }} }} {{Infobox archbishop styles | name = Adam Exner | dipstyle = {{cslist|His Grace|The Most Reverend<ref name="VanCity letter">{{cite news|title=VanCity Credit Union Affair: Letter from the Archbishop|url=https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/uncategorized-articles/vancity-credit-union-affair-letter-from-the-archbishop.html|first=Adam|last=Exner|date=October 1, 2003|accessdate=November 30, 2019|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201063540/https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/uncategorized-articles/vancity-credit-union-affair-letter-from-the-archbishop.html|archivedate=December 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=League honours two laypersons|url=https://ccrl.ca/2007/06/league-honours-two-laypersons/|date=June 7, 2007|accessdate=November 30, 2019|publisher=Catholic Civil Rights League|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201064116/https://ccrl.ca/2007/06/league-honours-two-laypersons/|archivedate=December 1, 2019}}</ref>}} | offstyle = {{ubl|Your Grace|Your Excellency}} | relstyle = Archbishop | image = Coat of arms of Adam Exner.svg | image_size = 200px }}
'''Adam Joseph Exner''', OMI (December 24, 1928 – September 5, 2023) was a Canadian bishop of the Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of Vancouver from 1991 until 2004, having previously served as the Bishop of Kamloops and Archbishop of Winnipeg. Prior to his appointment as bishop, he was a professor at seminaries run by his religious order.
Exner was born and raised in Saskatchewan, where he completed his secondary education. He entered the Oblate novitiate outside Winnipeg, before studying for the priesthood at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1957. Upon returning to Canada, he completed a doctoral degree in moral theology and went on to teach at seminaries in his home province and Alberta. He was appointed Bishop of Kamloops in 1974 and was consecrated that same year. Eight years later, he became Archbishop of Winnipeg, a position he held for nearly a decade before being transferred to Vancouver in 1991. Exner was noted for calling the first diocesan synod in Vancouver that allowed for the laity to participate.
==Early life== Adam Joseph Exner was born in Killaly, Saskatchewan, on Christmas Eve of 1928.<ref name="RCAV bio"/> He was the youngest of eight children of Joseph and Frances (Gelowitz).<ref name="ordained bishop"/><ref name=Welisch>{{cite magazine|title=Archbishop Adam Exner and his Family Ties to Molodia|url=http://www.bukovinasociety.org/newsletters/Buko-NL-2005-1-Mar-Bukovina-Society-Newsletter.pdf|first=Sophie A.|last=Welisch|volume=15|issue=1|date=March 2005|pages=2–3|accessdate=September 20, 2020|magazine=Newsletter|publisher=Bukovina Society of the Americas|location=Ellis, Kansas|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303062632/http://www.bukovinasociety.org/newsletters/Buko-NL-2005-1-Mar-Bukovina-Society-Newsletter.pdf|archivedate=March 3, 2017}}</ref> His parents were Bukovina Germans who moved to Canada as children.<ref name=Welisch/><ref name=Szabo>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Lev55Q42s8C&pg=PA189|title=Austrian Immigration to Canada: Selected Essays|publisher=McGill–Queen's University Press|date=April 15, 1996|last=Szabo|first=Franz|page=189|isbn=978-1447222750}}</ref> His father was originally from Molodiia, while his mother came from Derelui. Both families lived on a homestead in Mariahilf, outside Killaly, having emigrated from Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century. This was the result of a population boom combined with a scarcity of land in the area.<ref name=Welisch/>
Exner grew up in a humble farming household that lacked electricity, tap water, and central heating. Although his mother was illiterate, she made sure Exner and his siblings received comprehensive instruction on the ''Baltimore Catechism''. Mass was not celebrated every Sunday at the local church, so the family gathered around the kitchen table for what he called a "para-liturgy" when it was not held. This entailed singing hymns, going through the readings and Gospel of the day, talking about the texts and its relevance to their everyday lives, and concluded with praying the Rosary.<ref name="vocation story">{{cite web|title=Vocation Stories: Archbishop Adam Exner, OMI|date=April 6, 2019 |url=http://omi.ca/vocations/vocation_stories_archbishop_adam_exner.html|accessdate=September 20, 2020|publisher=Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920124819/http://omi.ca/vocations/vocation_stories_archbishop_adam_exner.html|archivedate=September 20, 2020}}</ref> Exner completed his primary education at Flegel School,<ref name="ordained bishop"/> a single-room rural school located {{convert|2.5|mi|km|sigfig=3}} away from where he lived.<ref name="vocation story"/> There, he was instructed by only one teacher through the whole of his elementary years.<ref name="ordained bishop"/><ref name="vocation story"/> He started learning the accordion without the help of a teacher before enrolling in kindergarten.<ref name="vocation story"/> He continued to play polkas and waltzes on the instrument well after he became bishop.<ref name=Todd1>{{cite news|title=Shepherd was a part-time cowboy|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-shepherd-was-a-part-ti/143524786/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-exner/143524805/ A12]|date=June 10, 1991|accessdate=September 24, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925004411/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/494962261/|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref><ref name=Suderman>{{cite news|title=Former Archbishop of Winnipeg Exner dead at 94|url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/2023/09/07/former-archbishop-of-winnipeg-exner-dead-at-94|first=Brenda|last=Suderman|date=September 7, 2023|access-date=September 16, 2023|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908014806/https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/2023/09/07/former-archbishop-of-winnipeg-exner-dead-at-94|archive-date=September 8, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Exner left school temporarily after eighth grade,<ref name="vocation story"/><ref name="BC Catholic obit 2">{{cite news|title=Archbishop Adam Exner, OMI: 1928–2023|url=https://bccatholic.ca/news/catholic-van/archbishop-adam-exner-omi-1928-2013|first=Agnieszka|last=Ruck|date=September 7, 2023|accessdate=September 7, 2023|newspaper=The B.C. Catholic|location=Vancouver}}</ref> in order to work on the family farm.<ref name=Welisch/> As the youngest child, he was in line to inherit the property, in keeping with the tradition in his family. Consequently, he intended to become a farmer had he not joined the priesthood.<ref name="vocation story"/>
Exner felt a calling to the priesthood in the summer of 1946.<ref name="vocation story"/> He resumed his studies that September, first at St. Joseph's College in Yorkton before transferring to St. Thomas College in Battleford one year later. After graduating from the latter institute, he went on to study one year of arts and subsequently joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate novitiate at St. Norbert in August 1950. Starting in 1951, he attended seminary at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He obtained two master's degrees from that institution (one in philosophy and the other in theology).<ref name="ordained bishop"/><ref name="vocation story"/> On July 7, 1957, Exner was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in Roviano, on the outskirts of Rome,<ref name="RCAV bio"/><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bukovinians and their descendants abroad who entered the Catholic priesthood|url=http://www.bukovinasociety.org/buko/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Buko-NL-2015-4-Dec-Bukovina-Society-Newsletter.pdf|first1=Allan W.|last1=Schmidt|first2=Michael|last2=Augustin|first3=Sophie A.|last3=Welisch|volume=25|issue=4|date=December 2015|page=4|accessdate=September 25, 2020|magazine=Newsletter|publisher=Bukovina Society of the Americas|location=Ellis, Kansas|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925092050/http://www.bukovinasociety.org/buko/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Buko-NL-2015-4-Dec-Bukovina-Society-Newsletter.pdf|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref> by Luigi Faveri, the Bishop of Tivoli at the time.<ref name="CCCB obit"/>
==Presbyteral ministry== Exner went back to Canada in 1958.<ref name="ordained bishop"/> He proceeded to complete a Doctorate of Theology at the University of Ottawa within two years.<ref name="ordained bishop"/><ref name="vocation story"/> Because of the accelerated pace, he described this time as "probably the hardest two years of my life".<ref name="vocation story"/> He subsequently taught at the Oblate seminary of St. Charles Scholasticate in Battleford as professor of moral theology from 1960 to 1972 and served as its rector for six of those years.<ref name="ordained bishop"/><ref name="vocation story"/> This is in spite of the fact that he did not envisage himself teaching and had expressed his preference to be assigned to a foreign mission instead.<ref name="vocation story"/> After the Oblate seminary was relocated to Edmonton in 1972, Exner followed along and taught at the Newman Theological College up until his appointment as bishop.<ref name="ordained bishop"/><ref name="vocation story"/> He also led several retreats during this time, primarily for his fellow clergymen and religious.<ref name="vocation story"/>
==Episcopal ministry== ===Bishop of Kamloops (1974–1982)=== Exner was appointed the third Bishop of Kamloops on January 18, 1974 by Pope Paul VI. The see had been vacant since August 1 of the previous year, when Michael Harrington died in office after more than two decades at the helm.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pope Names Bishop to Kamloops Diocese|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44720872/exner-named-kamloops-bishop/|page=8|date=January 18, 1974|accessdate=September 21, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922043331/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44720872/exner-named-kamloops-bishop/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref> Exner later recounted how he had no intention of becoming a bishop.<ref name=Hainsworth1>{{cite news|title=Archbishop knew of priest sexual abuse before complaints: testimony|url=https://www.squamishchief.com/updated-archbishop-knew-of-priest-sexual-abuse-before-complaints-testimony-1.23980244|first=Jeremy|last=Hainsworth|date=October 17, 2019|accessdate=September 20, 2020|newspaper=The Squamish Chief|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019045927/https://www.squamishchief.com/updated-archbishop-knew-of-priest-sexual-abuse-before-complaints-testimony-1.23980244|archivedate=October 19, 2019}}</ref><ref name=Hainsworth2>{{cite news|title="Playboy" priest moved to New York parishes, Canadian Forces job|url=https://www.nsnews.com/playboy-priest-moved-to-new-york-parishes-canadian-forces-job-1.23981586|first=Jeremy|last=Hainsworth|date=October 18, 2019|accessdate=September 20, 2020|newspaper=North Shore News|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019190546/https://www.nsnews.com/playboy-priest-moved-to-new-york-parishes-canadian-forces-job-1.23981586|archivedate=October 19, 2019}}</ref> He cited his lack of pastoral and administrative experience as reasons why he would be unsuitable for the position.<ref name="vocation story"/><ref name=Hainsworth2/> He remonstrated with Joseph MacNeil, the Archbishop of Edmonton who had informed him of the Holy See's decision, but to no avail.<ref name="vocation story"/> Exner ultimately acquiesced to the appointment only out of obedience to the church.<ref name=Hainsworth2/> He was consecrated bishop on March 12, 1974, at the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts in Regina.<ref name="ordained bishop"/> Henri Légaré, the Archbishop of Grouard–McLennan and his close friend who taught Exner catechism as a child,<ref name="ordained bishop"/><ref name="BC Catholic obit 2"/> served as the principal consecrator, with Exner's siblings and their 80-year-old mother in attendance. He was installed in Kamloops sixteen days later on March 28 by Guido del Mestri, the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Canada.<ref name="ordained bishop"/>
Exner stated that he did not want anyone to behave differently towards him after his elevation to the episcopacy. He added how his "ideal of a bishop is someone who is close to his people. I want to be a father and a father is close to his people".<ref>{{cite news|title=Bishop wants same treatment|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44311432/exner/|page=40|date=January 19, 1974|accessdate=September 22, 2020|agency=The Canadian Press|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922101127/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44311432/exner/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref> His sojourn in Kamloops was the first time in his life that he lived by himself. He had previously always resided in a community, either with his fellow Oblates or in the seminaries where he taught. He remarked that this change was "not easy", but he eventually "got used to it".<ref name="vocation story"/> Having adapted to living in a new province, he was prepared to stay in Kamloops indefinitely.<ref name="vocation story"/>
In 1977, parishioners in Kamloops reported their parish priest, Erlindo Molon, to Exner, alleging that Molon was sexually and physically abusing others. One parishioner told Exner that she received a marriage proposal from Molon; Exner encouraged her to attend a different church. After months of hearing these accusations, Exner asked Molon to transfer parishes, which Molon refused. A civil judgment in 2020 determined that church leadership, including Exner, failed to take appropriate steps to prevent Molon's abuse of a parishioner.<ref>{{cite news|title=Court awards $844,000 to victim of sex assaults by priest in 1970s | last =Hager|first =Mike| url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2437328562|page=A6|date=August 27, 2020|accessdate=September 14, 2025|newspaper=The Globe and Mail |id={{ProQuest|2437328562}} }}</ref>
===Archbishop of Winnipeg (1982–1991)=== [[File:StMaryswpg2.jpg|thumb|right|St. Mary's Cathedral in Downtown Winnipeg was renovated from 1987 to 1988, during Exner's tenure as archbishop.|alt=A Romanesque Revival cathedral with two spires of unequal height]] The Holy See's selection of Exner as the fourth Archbishop of Winnipeg was announced on April 8, 1982.<ref name=technology>{{cite news|title=Technology no help for spirit – prelate|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-technology-no-help-for/143524861/|page=A13|date=April 10, 1982|accessdate=September 22, 2020|agency=The Canadian Press|newspaper=Edmonton Journal}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg lists Exner's date of appointment as April 8, 1982.<ref name="RCAW past archb">{{cite web|title=Past Archbishops|url=https://www.archwinnipeg.ca/main.php?p=74|accessdate=September 22, 2020|publisher=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719054734/https://www.archwinnipeg.ca/main.php?p=74|archivedate=July 19, 2020}}</ref> The date used is from the article by The Canadian Press, which states that "[h]is appointment was announced Wednesday" (i.e. April 7, 1982).<ref name=technology/>|group=upper-alpha}} He was installed at St. Mary's Cathedral on June 23 of that same year.<ref name="vocation story"/>{{sfn|Platt|1999|p=183}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Fourth archbishop installed|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/143524877/|page=C10|date=August 11, 1982|accessdate=September 22, 2020|agency=The Canadian Press|newspaper=Regina Leader-Post|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922092004/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496042623/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg lists Exner's date of installation as June 24, 1982.<ref name="RCAW past archb"/>|group=upper-alpha}} His predecessor, Cardinal George Flahiff, perceived Exner to be "well experienced" and a "man of good judgment" and predicted a promising future for the archdiocese with him in charge.{{sfn|Platt|1999|p=179}} Exner saw his transfer to Winnipeg as a homecoming of sorts. Even though he barely knew anyone there, he sensed that the local Catholic community were delighted to have a "home-grown prairie boy" as their new archbishop.<ref name="vocation story"/> He sold the large Charleswood house on the riverfront where his predecessors resided – which he regarded as too lavish and which would have required a costly renovation – and initially moved into the chaplain's quarters at St. Mary's Academy, before settling into a residence on Bishops Lane.<ref name=Suderman/>
Exner welcomed Pope John Paul II to Winnipeg in September 1984, as part of the latter's first visit to Canada.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hearty Ukrainian welcome for pontiff|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/143524902/|page=Papal Visit 8|date=September 17, 1984|accessdate=September 22, 2020|newspaper=Edmonton Journal|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922210438/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/472503769/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref> During his tenure as ordinary of that archdiocese, the cathedral underwent large-scale restoration work. These repairs – which were intended to be finished by September 1987 in order to coincide with the centenary of the cathedral's consecration – were only completed in early 1988.<ref>{{cite web|title=A History of the Archdiocese – Part V: The Archdiocese of Winnipeg, 1952–2002|url=https://www.archwinnipeg.ca/main.php?p=73|accessdate=September 22, 2020|publisher=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719054701/https://www.archwinnipeg.ca/main.php?p=73|archivedate=July 19, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A History of the Archdiocese – Part I: The Catholic Church in Manitoba to 1916|url=https://www.archwinnipeg.ca/main.php?p=21|accessdate=September 22, 2020|publisher=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719054656/https://www.archwinnipeg.ca/main.php?p=21|archivedate=July 19, 2020}}</ref> He also directed the cessation of a monthly Tridentine Mass in late 1986, pointing to declining attendance as the reason for abandoning the 22-month long trial run within the archdiocese.<ref>{{cite news|title=Latin mass petitioned by Winnipeg Roman Catholic group|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-latin-mass-petitioned-by/143524936/|page=F6|date=December 27, 1986|accessdate=September 22, 2020|agency=The Canadian Press|newspaper=Calgary Herald|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922222458/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/484236598/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref>
In 1990, Exner established a church committee with the archbishop of Saint Boniface Antoine Hacault and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to respond to complaints about the treatment of Indigenous children in the Canadian Indian residential school system.<ref>{{cite news|title=Natives seek federal inquiry into abuse at church schools Archbishops agree to set up committee to help victims|last=Roberts|first=David|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/385551424|page=A4|date=November 6, 1990|accessdate=September 14, 2025|newspaper=The Globe and Mail |id={{ProQuest|385551424}} }}</ref>
===Archbishop of Vancouver (1991–2004)=== Exner was appointed the Archbishop of Vancouver on May 25, 1991,<ref name="RCAW past archb"/><ref name="Vancouver apptmt">{{cite news|title=New Roman Catholic archbishop sees himself as middle-of-the-road|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-new-roman-catholic-arc/143524958/|page=B10|date=May 27, 1991|accessdate=September 22, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922090947/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/495202034/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref> and installed at Holy Rosary Cathedral on August 15 of that year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Welcome warm as Exner installed|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-welcome-warm-as-exner/143524974/|first=Pete|last=McMartin|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-exner/143524997/ A2]|date=August 16, 1991|accessdate=September 22, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922090512/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/495286513/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref> Although he was billed as "Canada's most outspoken conservative prelate" by Joel Connelly of the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'',<ref name=Connelly>{{cite news|title=Canada may erase sex as wedlock factor|url=https://www.newspapers.com//article/detroit-free-press-canada-may-erase-sex/143525025/|first=Joel|last=Connelly|page=22A|date=February 12, 1999|accessdate=September 22, 2020|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922203959/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/100175996/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref> Exner eschewed the use of such categorizations, considering himself as "middle-of-the-road".<ref name="Vancouver apptmt"/> He found that he was sometimes "labelled as too conservative, and sometimes as too liberal" and that his goal was simply to "combat the idea that Catholics can pick and choose which dogma to accept".<ref name="Vancouver apptmt"/> In contrast to his immediate predecessor, James Carney, Exner was perceived as being comfortable speaking to the media, having personally responded to a phone call by the ''Vancouver Sun'' shortly after his appointment without having to go through a secretary.<ref name=Todd1/>
Exner acted as principal consecrator at the episcopal ordination of Gerald Wiesner, held in Prince George, British Columbia, on February 22, 1993.<ref>{{cite news|title=B.C. Catholic bishop comes under fire from conservative magazine|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-bc-catholic-bishop-c/143525054/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|page=B6|date=February 4, 1993|accessdate=September 25, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925070022/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/495056398/|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref> On June 16, 1996, he wrote a letter that described contreception as repressing sexuality and "bogus freedom"; this letter was read to all the congregations in his archdiocese.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Why Do Physicians Ignore Humanae Vitae?|last=Bright|first=Howie|date=November 1996|journal=The Linacre Quarterly|volume=63|issue=4 |pages=76–93 |doi=10.1080/20508549.1999.11878368 }}</ref> After Wiesner's predecessor, Hubert O'Connor, was convicted in July 1996 of the rape and indecent assault of two Indigenous women at a residential school where he was principal, Exner offered assistance to the victims in their healing process and asked that O'Connor be forgiven. He emphasized that he was not asking for anyone to condone what O'Connor did, adding that "there's a big difference between condoning and forgiveness".<ref name="O'Connor">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-former-catholic-bishop/143525082/|date=July 26, 1996|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-chief-calls-upon-churc/143525120/ A16]|first1=Larry|last1=Still|first2=Mike|last2=Crawley|title=Former Catholic bishop found guilty of rape, indecent assault|newspaper=The Vancouver Sun|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 17, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> However, Exner's observation that O'Connor had "already suffered enough, to the point where his health has suffered and deteriorated"<ref name="O'Connor" /> drew the ire of some members of the public. Exner admitted that he "made a real mistake in speaking of the pain of the women and that of Bishop O'Connor in the same breath".<ref name=Todd2>{{cite news|title=Catholic leader issues apology to victims of bishop's crimes|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-vancouver-archbishop-r/143525143/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-letter-an-insult/143525187/ A2]|date=September 10, 1996|accessdate=September 25, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925080448/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496096233/|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref> He also made a formal apology for O'Connor's actions.<ref name=Todd2/><ref name=Todd3>{{cite news|title=Bishop supports colleague accused of sex crimes|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-bishop-supports-colleag/143525210/first=Douglas|last=Todd|page=E5|date=March 27, 1998|accessdate=September 25, 2020|newspaper=Edmonton Journal}}</ref> O'Connor's convictions were later quashed by the British Columbia Court of Appeal in March 1998.<ref name=Todd3/>
Exner was a delegate at the Synod of Bishops for Asia, held in Rome from April to May 1998.<ref>{{cite news|title=Archbishop Adam Exner of Vancouver to Attend Synod of Bishops for Asia|url=https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/archbishop-adam-exner-of-vancouver-to-attend-synod-of-bishops-for-asia/|date=April 9, 1998|accessdate=September 25, 2020|publisher=Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925102700/https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/archbishop-adam-exner-of-vancouver-to-attend-synod-of-bishops-for-asia/|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref> He was the only bishop from Canada to be invited to that meeting. Exner reckoned that this was in recognition of Vancouver's sizable immigrant population from Asia that is apparent in its parishes.<ref>{{cite news|title=City bishop in Vatican to advise on Asian push|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-city-bishop-in-vatican/143525226/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|page=A4|date=April 17, 1998|accessdate=September 25, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925103024/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496110422/|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref> In October of that same year, he called a local diocesan synod.<ref>{{cite news|title=Catholic prelate makes new pitch for converts|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-catholic-prelate-makes/143525262/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-archbishop-extends-wel/143525282/ A8]|date=October 13, 1998|accessdate=September 25, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925095658/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496199457/|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref> It was the first to be held in nearly four decades and the first synod in the history of the Archdiocese to allow the lay faithful to participate in the process.<ref>{{cite news|title=Exner targets ethnic groups in church dialogue|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-exner-targets-ethnic-g/143525299/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-church-sees-asians-as/143525319/ A2]|date=October 6, 1998|accessdate=September 25, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925095403/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496238566/|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref>
Less than one month after the September 11 attacks, Exner hosted a gathering of religious leaders at the cathedral's church hall. They issued a collective statement denouncing violence committed in the name of religion, and underlining their dedication to work together for the public good in "brave new works of peace".<ref name="A Fierce Grace">{{cite news|title=A fierce grace: leadership secrets of Adam Exner|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+fierce+grace:+leadership+secrets+of+Adam+Exner.-a0116409351|first=Michael|last=Marwick|date=January 18, 2004|accessdate=September 24, 2020|newspaper=The B.C. Catholic|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125182407/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+fierce+grace:+leadership+secrets+of+Adam+Exner.-a0116409351|archivedate=January 25, 2016}}</ref> The statement was ultimately read out in the House of Commons and the Senate.<ref name="A Fierce Grace"/> Exner served as the principal consecrator at the episcopal ordination of David Monroe on March 12, 2002, exactly 28 years to the date of Exner's own consecration as bishop.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Bishop appointed for Kamloops|url=https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/new-bishop-appointed-for-kamloops/|date=June 1, 2016|accessdate=July 18, 2020|publisher=Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719001809/https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/new-bishop-appointed-for-kamloops/|archivedate=July 19, 2020}}</ref>
==Later life== After almost 13 years of serving as Archbishop of Vancouver, Exner reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in December 2003.<ref>{{cite news|title=A 'Roman' at Heart: Canada's Archbishop Exner Retires|url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/a-roman-at-heart-canadas-archbishop-exner-retires|first=Raymond J.|last=De Souza|date=February 15, 2004|accessdate=September 20, 2020|newspaper=National Catholic Register|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922005631/https://www.ncregister.com/news/a-roman-at-heart-canadas-archbishop-exner-retires|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The aging of bishops could lead to change|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-apr-05-me-bishops5-story.html|first=Duke|last=Helfand|date=April 5, 2009|accessdate=July 20, 2020|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721051528/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-apr-05-me-bishops5-story.html/|archivedate=July 21, 2020}}</ref> His resignation was accepted by Pope John Paul II less than one month later on January 10 of the following year.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Archbishop Named for Vancouver|url=https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/new-archbishop-named-for-vancouver/|date=January 10, 2004|accessdate=September 20, 2020|publisher=Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922005734/https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/new-archbishop-named-for-vancouver/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Pope names new archbishop for Vancouver|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/pope-names-new-archbishop-for-vancouver/article20426960/|first=Sasha|last=Nagy|date=January 10, 2004|accessdate=September 21, 2020|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|location=Toronto|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922005519/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/pope-names-new-archbishop-for-vancouver/article20426960/|archivedate=September 22, 2020}}</ref> He subsequently remained in Vancouver, moving into the Oblate Provincial House,<ref>{{cite news|title=Directory of Emriti – Latin Catholic Bishops|url=https://www.cccb.ca/the-catholic-church-in-canada/directory-of-bishops-and-eparchs/emeriti/?search=&type=latin-rite|accessdate=September 20, 2020|publisher=Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921054347/https://www.cccb.ca/the-catholic-church-in-canada/directory-of-bishops-and-eparchs/emeriti/?search=&type=latin-rite|archivedate=September 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=OMI BC/Yukon District Office|url=http://directory.rcav.org/Vancouver/Religious_Communities_of_Men/Oblates_of_Mary_Immaculate_OMI_/OMI_BC/Yukon_District_Office_477.html|accessdate=September 18, 2020|publisher=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922005351/http://directory.rcav.org/Vancouver/Religious_Communities_of_Men/Oblates_of_Mary_Immaculate_OMI_/OMI_BC/Yukon_District_Office_477.html|archive-date=September 22, 2020}}</ref> before returning to Saskatchewan shortly before his death.<ref name="BC Catholic obit 1">{{cite news|title=Archbishop Adam Exner, OMI, dies at age 94|url=https://bccatholic.ca/news/catholic-van/archbishop-adam-exner-omi-dies-at-age-94|date=September 5, 2023|accessdate=September 5, 2023|newspaper=The B.C. Catholic|location=Vancouver}}</ref> He revealed in court testimony that he suffered a stroke in 2015 that had "shattered [his] memory".<ref name=Hainsworth1/>
Exner died on September 5, 2023, at his home in Grayson, Saskatchewan. He was 94.<ref name="CCCB obit"/><ref name=Suderman/><ref name="BC Catholic obit 1"/> His funeral was held fifteen days later on September 20 at St. Mary's Church in Grayson, where he received first Holy Communion and celebrated his first Mass after his priestly ordination.<ref>{{cite news|title=Archbishop Exner laid to rest in country church he grew up in|url=https://bccatholic.ca/news/canada/archbishop-exner-laid-to-rest-in-country-church-he-grew-up-in|first=Nicholas|last=Elbers|date=September 21, 2023|accessdate=September 22, 2023|newspaper=The B.C. Catholic|location=Vancouver}}</ref>
==Measures== ===Maintaining Catholic institutions=== Exner worked with other religious groups involved in healthcare in obtaining a legal agreement with Michael Harcourt, the Premier of British Columbia, in 1995.<ref name="A Fierce Grace"/><ref name=DHA>{{cite web|title=Our History|url=https://www.denominationalhealth.ca/history/|accessdate=September 25, 2020|publisher=Denominational Health Association|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926022916/https://www.denominationalhealth.ca/history/|archivedate=September 26, 2020}}</ref> It ensures that healthcare establishments with a religious affiliation are able to continue adhering to their founding mission and values.<ref name=DHA/> Consequently, the Denominational Health Association was formed, sustaining the legacy of Exner's predecessor Carney.<ref name="A Fierce Grace"/> Exner also voiced his opposition to efforts by Colin Hansen, the provincial Minister of Health, to close St. Mary's Hospital in New Westminster.<ref name="A Fierce Grace"/> Although the medical institution eventually shut down in 2004, its foundation continued on, giving financial support to other local healthcare providers.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saint Mary's Hospital legacy lives on in New Westminster|url=https://www.newwestrecord.ca/community/saint-mary-s-hospital-legacy-lives-on-in-new-westminster-1.23537715|first=Theresa|last=McManus|date=December 15, 2018|accessdate=September 25, 2020|newspaper=New Westminster Record|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217132027/https://www.newwestrecord.ca/community/saint-mary-s-hospital-legacy-lives-on-in-new-westminster-1.23537715|archivedate=December 17, 2018}}</ref>
[[File:VC's Holler Family Science Center.JPG|thumb|right|Vancouver College was one of two Catholic high schools in the Greater Vancouver area to be saved from liquidation in 2002.|alt=Exterior of a modern brick building with windows covered by Venetian blinds]] Exner was closely involved with the efforts to prevent the closure of Vancouver College and St. Thomas More Collegiate at the turn of the millennium.<ref name="A Fierce Grace"/> These were operated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and were the order's most valuable assets in Canada, estimated to be worth C$38–43 million.<ref name=schools>{{cite news|title=Court approves Vancouver school's payment for claims|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35581820/nanaimo-daily-news/|page=7|date=September 21, 2002|accessdate=September 29, 2020|agency=The Canadian Press|newspaper=Nanaimo Daily News|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929101803/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35581820/nanaimo-daily-news/|archivedate=September 29, 2020}}</ref> Consequently, the two high schools faced closure and liquidation in order to pay the victims of the Mount Cashel Orphanage sexual and physical abuse scandal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sale of Vancouver schools in Toronto court|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sale-of-vancouver-schools-in-toronto-court-1.304547|date=July 23, 2002|publisher=CBC News|access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> The issue was resolved when the Archdiocese of Vancouver paid $19 million to the liquidator of the order in July 2002, without the educational institutions having to be sold.<ref name=schools/><ref name=Harvey>{{cite news|title=Bishops insist sex scandals are just in U.S.|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ottawa-citizen-bishops-insist-sex-sc/143525339/|page=F8|first=Bob|last=Harvey|date=October 22, 2002|accessdate=September 29, 2020|newspaper=Ottawa Citizen|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929172302/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/466835682/|archivedate=September 29, 2020}}</ref> The school boards were thereafter supervised by the archbishop and other Catholics in the Archdiocese.<ref name=schools/> Exner was of the opinion that the court's judgment was unjustified, since the schools were not owned by the order and had been financed by local Catholics in the decades before the liquidation. He said that he had "no problem with the Mount Cashel claimants" being compensated.<ref name=Harvey/> However, he felt that "in order to rectify one injustice, another injustice has been committed", adding that there was "a very strong prejudice against the Catholic Church in the judicial system, in the general public, and the media".<ref name=Harvey/> Exner also assisted Covenant House, a home for runaway street kids, in establishing a branch of its services into Vancouver.<ref name="A Fierce Grace"/>
===Handling of clergy sex abuse=== {{Quote box|quote="The veil is off. It's really, really off, no doubt about it. All the bishops I know, none of them is trying to hide anything any more. And we're quite ready to co-operate with the police and the judicial system."|source=— Archbishop Adam Exner, ten years after the publication of ''From Pain to Hope'' (May 2002)<ref name=Bermingham/>|width=30%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}} Exner was one of seven members on the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee on Child Sexual Abuse, established in October 1989 to investigate sexual abuse perpetrated by priests and other male religious figures. It published a report in June 1992 titled ''From Pain to Hope''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Rigali|first=Norbert J.|title= Church Responses to Pedophilia|journal=Theological Studies|volume=55|issue=1|date=March 1994 |pages=124–139 |doi=10.1177/004056399405500108 }}</ref><ref name="break down silence">{{cite news|title='Break down the silence'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44298865/june-1992/|page=37|date=June 12, 1992|accessdate=October 3, 2020|agency=The Canadian Press|newspaper=Regina Leader-Post|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003164133/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44298865/june-1992/|archivedate=October 3, 2020}}</ref> This was the first ever systemic study conducted by an episcopal conference that delved into stopping sexual abuse, looking after victims, and instituting administrative procedures to be employed in the event of sexual abuse by clergy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Report of the Special Taskforce for the Review of ''From Pain to Hope''|url=https://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/cornwall/en/hearings/exhibits/Frank_Morrisey/pdf/14_Taskforce.pdf|page=3|date=September 2005|accessdate=October 3, 2020|publisher=Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315115501/https://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/cornwall/en/hearings/exhibits/Frank_Morrisey/pdf/14_Taskforce.pdf|archivedate=March 15, 2020}}</ref> Although he admitted that he could not make any promises, Exner surmised that the report would result in "action right across the country".<ref name="break down silence"/> He added how "it is the bishops of Canada that asked for this study. It is the bishops of Canada that insistently showed interest in this and support for the work of this committee and I'm convinced that many of these if not all of these recommendations will in fact be implemented".<ref name="break down silence"/> A decade after the report was released, he observed how the culture of church coverups in Canada had come to an end.<ref name=Bermingham>{{cite news|title=Ex-nun: Stop hiding abuse|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44364557/the-province/|first=John|last=Bermingham|date=May 10, 2002|page=A15|accessdate=October 3, 2020|newspaper=The Province|location=Vancouver|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003171834/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44364557/the-province/|archivedate=October 3, 2020}}</ref>
==Views== ===Abortion and euthanasia=== Exner was noted as a staunch opponent of the practice and legalization of abortion in Canada, standing at the forefront of many anti-abortion marches.<ref name=Todd1/> In the run up to the 1984 federal election, Exner and the five other bishops in Manitoba issued a pastoral letter to the laity informing them that "one cannot support an election candidate who upholds a pro-abortion position".<ref>{{cite news|title=Anti-abortion crusade set|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-anti-abortion-crusade/143525352/|page=A15|date=August 16, 1984|accessdate=September 24, 2020|agency=The Canadian Press|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925015943/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/494764919/|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref> At the same time, he spoke out against anti-abortion violence,<ref name="A Fierce Grace"/> most notably after the murder of Barnett Slepian in October 1998. The editor of ''The B.C. Catholic'' wrote an editorial in the paper in the aftermath of the attack that was criticized for posing the rhetorical question, "How can anyone help but be pleased that murders of abortionists just might have some positive side effects".<ref name=Todd4>{{cite news|title=Exner backs controversial article|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-exner-backs-controvers/143525374/|first1=Kim|last1=Bolan|first2=Douglas|last2=Todd|page=B6|date=November 5, 1998|accessdate=September 27, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928001049/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496199160/|archivedate=September 28, 2020}}</ref> This eclipsed the conclusion that the killing of Slepian was wrong because "sin produces more sin".<ref name=Todd4/> Exner noted that he had not read the editorial before it was published, and delivered a press release that unequivocally denounced the murder. He stated that it was "unfortunate that [the editor] worded it the way he did. But that doesn't mean to say the substance of the editorial is not correct. That particular paragraph is not well-worded. The church's position is crystal clear there is no justification, none, for killing abortion doctors".<ref name=Todd4/>
Exner spoke before the Special Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide in September 1994.<ref name="Bellett and Sheehan">{{cite news|title=Quadriplegic happy he resisted lure of suicide|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-quadriplegic-happy-he/143525407/|first1=Gerry|last1=Bellett|first2=Al|last2=Sheehan|page=B2|date=September 28, 1994|accessdate=September 25, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925111135/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/495081768/|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Proceedings of the Subcommittee to Update "Of Life and Death"|url=https://sencanada.ca/en/Content/SEN/Committee/362/upda/06ev-e|date=March 20, 2000|accessdate=September 25, 2020|publisher=Senate of Canada|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925112211/https://sencanada.ca/en/Content/SEN/Committee/362/upda/06ev-e|archivedate=September 25, 2020}}</ref> He was strongly critical of the practice, stating how "we must certainly make every effort to kill the pain without, however, killing the patient".<ref name="Bellett and Sheehan"/> He added that euthanasia "poses as freedom [and] beckons us to be the masters over life and death. In other words, it promises us that we can be our own gods. As much as we may pretend to be gods, in the final analysis we are not in control of life or death".<ref name="Bellett and Sheehan"/>
===Capital punishment=== As chairman of the Catholic Organization for Life and Family, Exner wrote a letter in November 1998 to George W. Bush, the Governor of Texas at the time. This was intended to bolster the request by the Canadian government to spare the life of Stanley Faulder, a Canadian citizen on death row in Texas. Exner observed, "One cannot help noticing that Mr. Faulder's scheduled date of execution is on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the most fundamental right of all – the right to life".<ref name=plead>{{cite news|title=Bishops plead|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-gazette-briefs/143525422/|page=A10|date=December 2, 1998|accessdate=September 29, 2020|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929181844/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/425073053/|archivedate=September 29, 2020}}</ref> He added that the group's regard was founded on "the unswerving belief that human life and dignity must be respected and protected without exception".<ref name=plead/> Faulder was eventually executed on June 17, 1999.<ref>{{cite news|title=Faulder executed in Texas|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/faulder-executed-in-texas-1.184310|date=June 17, 1999|publisher=CBC News|accessdate=September 29, 2020}}</ref>
===LGBT issues=== The Catholic Civil Rights League sought and obtained intervenor status during litigation in the late 1990s involving Trinity Western University (TWU), in relation to its training policies.<ref name="TWU BCSC">{{cite court|litigants=Trinity Western University v British Columbia College of Teachers|reporter=BCJ|opinion=No. 2076|court=Supreme Court of British Columbia|date=1997|url=https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/1997/1997canlii2124/1997canlii2124.html|access-date=September 24, 2020}}</ref><ref name="TWU BCCA">{{cite court|litigants=Trinity Western University v British Columbia College of Teachers|reporter=BCJ|opinion=No. 3029|court=British Columbia Court of Appeal|date=1998|url=https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcca/doc/1998/1998canlii7054/1998canlii7054.html|access-date=September 24, 2020}}</ref> This was done at Exner's direction and with his backing.<ref name="A Fierce Grace"/> The case centred on a dispute between TWU, a Christian university that wanted to train public school teachers, and the British Columbia College of Teachers (BCCT). The BCCT had rejected TWU's application for certification<ref name="TWU BCSC"/> because the university required its students to sign a community covenant pledging to abstain from all sexual intimacy outside of heterosexual marriage.<ref>{{cite web|title=Community Covenant Agreement|url=https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/community_covenant_june_25_2019.pdf|date=June 25, 2019|accessdate=October 6, 2020|publisher=Trinity Western University|location=Langley|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527213114/https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/community_covenant_june_25_2019.pdf/|archivedate=May 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=B.C.'s Trinity Western University drops mandatory covenant forbidding sex outside heterosexual marriage|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-bcs-trinity-western-university-drops-mandatory-covenant-forbidding/|first1=Wendy|last1=Stueck|first2=Sunny|last2=Dhillon|date=August 14, 2018|accessdate=October 6, 2020|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|location=Toronto|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406180624/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-bcs-trinity-western-university-drops-mandatory-covenant-forbidding/|archivedate=April 6, 2019}}</ref> The British Columbia Court of Appeal found in favour of TWU in 1998,<ref name="TWU BCCA"/> and the Supreme Court of Canada affirmed that judgment three years later in ''Trinity Western University v British Columbia College of Teachers''.<ref>{{cite court|litigants=Trinity Western University v British Columbia College of Teachers|vol=1|reporter=SCR|opinion=772|court=Supreme Court of Canada|date=2001|url=https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/1867/index.do|access-date=September 24, 2020}}</ref>
{{Quote box|quote="[W]e preach against adultery. But that doesn't mean we are phobic about people who commit adultery. We also teach fornication is wrong. But that doesn't mean we reject or become phobic about young people who don't always abide by that teaching."|source=— Archbishop Adam Exner, refuting Tim Stevenson's aspersion that he is a "homophobic individual" (July 1998)<ref name=Todd5/>|width=30%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}} Exner was vocal in his opposition to the provincial government's plan in 1998 of expanding the pension benefits of public servants to encompass those with same-sex partners. He maintained that this would constitute a redefinition of marriage, which was unacceptable because "biologically, such couples are not equipped to be husband and wife".<ref name=Connelly/> He instead proposed that these benefits be extended to anyone in a stable and caring relationship.<ref name=Connelly/><ref name="Todd5">{{cite news|title=Gay sex, politics and religion are explosive mix|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-gay-sex-politics-and/143525445/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-issue-of-principle-has/143525456/ A10]|date=July 11, 1998|accessdate=September 30, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930091409/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496066700/|archivedate=September 30, 2020}}</ref> Ujjal Dosanjh, the province's attorney general, was warm to Exner's idea but cautioned that it would be "highly expensive" and potentially "open to abuse".<ref>{{cite news|title=Dosanjh open to extending pension benefits|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-dosanjh-open-to-extend/143525478/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|page=7|date=July 15, 1998|accessdate=September 30, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930092556/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496067519/|archivedate=September 30, 2020}}</ref> Tim Stevenson, a United Church of Canada minister and the first openly gay member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia,<ref>{{cite news|title=Vision Vancouver's Tim Stevenson not seeking re-election, cites need for new leadership|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/time-stevenson-not-seeking-re-election-vision-vancouver-october-2018-general-election-1.4487356|first=Chad|last=Pawson|date=January 15, 2018|publisher=CBC News|accessdate=September 30, 2020}}</ref> lambasted Exner as "a homophobic individual".<ref name="Todd5"/> Brian Thorpe, the United Church's provincial executive secretary who is also gay,<ref>{{cite news|title=United Church elects new moderator|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/united-church-elects-new-moderator-1.397235|date=August 13, 2003|publisher=CBC News|accessdate=September 30, 2020}}</ref> attempted to strike a more conciliatory tone by noting how "Catholic teaching is rigorously logical" and is "able to separate doctrine from its emotional content in such a way that I think it's quite possible for a Roman Catholic to express doctrine and not have personally negative feelings to homosexual people".<ref name=Todd5/> Exner defended himself when informed of Stevenson's swipe, commenting: "Let me assure you I have consistently taught respect for every person, regardless of whether they're homosexual or not".<ref name=Todd5/>
{{Quote box|quote="We will continue to teach in word and action what the church teaches. Disagree if you will, but recognize a principled stand for what it is."|source=— Archbishop Adam Exner, in a letter to the ''Vancouver Sun'' explaining the decision to end cooperation with Vancity (October 1, 2003)<ref name="VanCity letter"/> |width=30%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}} Exner instructed four Catholic schools in the Greater Vancouver area to divest from a school banking program operated by Vancity in September 2003. This was ostensibly in response to the credit union releasing an advertisement showing two men sitting with their cheeks touching with the caption, "I want to bank with people who value all partnerships".<ref name=Todd6>{{cite news|title=Catholics sever ties with VanCity for supporting gays|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-catholics-sever-ties-w/143525576/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-junior-banking-program/143525594/ A2]|date=September 24, 2003|accessdate=October 1, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001120300/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496709408/|archivedate=October 1, 2020}}</ref> However, in a letter to the ''Vancouver Sun'' explaining the reasoning behind the decision, Exner wrote that it boiled down to Vancity's "support for causes opposed to Catholic morals [that] went far beyond ads featuring same-sex couples".<ref name="VanCity letter"/> He stated that the credit union was participating in an "objectionable cause" in their public support for "agendas which are worrisome and harmful to the church and to society".<ref name=Todd6/> The decision led to public outcry,<ref>{{cite news|title=Catholics criticized for ousting VanCity|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-catholics-criticized-f/143525516/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|pages=B1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-sikhs-at-odds-with-cat/143525545/ B7]|date=September 25, 2003|accessdate=October 1, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001122520/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496710430/|archivedate=October 1, 2020}}</ref> with one message sent to the Archdiocese linking Exner (who is of German descent) to Nazism.<ref name=Todd7>{{cite news|title=Police investigate threats against B.C.'s top Catholic|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-police-investigate-thr/143525621/|first=Douglas|last=Todd|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-vancity-branches-have/143525648/ A2]|date=October 1, 2003|accessdate=October 1, 2020|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001123057/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496701890/|archivedate=October 1, 2020}}</ref> At one point, protesters gathered outside Exner's residence late at night, shouting obscenities and making threats against him.<ref name="VanCity letter"/><ref name=Todd7/> This prompted the Vancouver Police Department to investigate the threats and recommend that he take measures to protect his personal security while out in public.<ref name=Todd7/>
==Honours== * {{flag|Holy See}}: Order of the Holy Sepulchre (October 1, 1996)<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the Canada–Vancouver Lieutenancy|url=http://www.eohsjcanadawest.com/Lieutenancy/History/History%20of%20the%20EOHSJ%20Canada-Vancouver%20Lieutenancy_14Aug29.pdf|page=8|date=August 29, 2014|accessdate=September 22, 2020|work=Lieutenancy of Canada–Vancouver|publisher=Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718210307/http://eohsjcanadawest.com/Lieutenancy/History/History%20of%20the%20EOHSJ%20Canada-Vancouver%20Lieutenancy_14Aug29.pdf|archivedate=July 18, 2020}}</ref>
In addition to being made Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Exner was also named the inaugural Grand Prior of the Order's Lieutenancy of Canada–Vancouver. This encompasses British Columbia, Alberta, as well as the territory of Yukon.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem|url=http://eohsjcanadawest.com/Lieutenancy/Order/CanWestDoc.htm|year=2012|accessdate=September 22, 2020|work=Lieutenancy of Canada–Vancouver|publisher=Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201032105/http://eohsjcanadawest.com/Lieutenancy/Order/CanWestDoc.htm|archivedate=February 1, 2019}}</ref>
On the occasion of Exner's retirement as Archbishop of Vancouver in 2004, the Catholic Civil Rights League created the Archbishop Adam Exner Award for Catholic Excellence in Public Life in his honour. It is presented annually to give recognition to "outstanding achievement in advocacy, education, life issues, media and culture, and philanthropy".<ref>{{cite web|title=Fr. Anthony Van Hee, S.J., 2019 Winner of CCRL's Exner Award|url=https://ccrl.ca/2019/10/exner2019/|date=October 25, 2019|accessdate=September 22, 2020|publisher=Catholic Civil Rights League|location=Ottawa|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814144756/https://ccrl.ca/2019/10/exner2019/|archivedate=August 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Protesting priest earns award for advocacy|url=https://www.catholicregister.org/item/30587-protesting-priest-earns-award-for-advocacy|date=October 31, 2019|accessdate=September 22, 2020|newspaper=The Catholic Register|location=Toronto|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221011609/https://www.catholicregister.org/item/30587-protesting-priest-earns-award-for-advocacy|archivedate=December 21, 2019}}</ref>
==Notes== {{reflist|group=upper-alpha}}
==References== '''Specific''' {{reflist}} '''Bibliography''' {{refbegin}} * {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GynOKbNWrWIC|title=Gentle Eminence|publisher=McGill–Queen's Press|year=1999|last=Platt|first=Philip Wallace|isbn=9780773518469}} {{refend}}
{{s-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=Michael Harrington}} {{s-ttl|title=Bishop of Kamloops|years=1974–1982}} {{s-aft|after=Lawrence Sabatini}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=George Flahiff}} {{s-ttl|title=Archbishop of Winnipeg|years=1982–1991}} {{s-aft|after=Leonard James Wall}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=James Carney}} {{s-ttl|title=Archbishop of Vancouver|years=1991–2004}} {{s-aft|after=Raymond Roussin}} {{end}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver}} {{Roman Catholic Bishops of Kamloops}} {{Portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|Canada}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Exner, Adam}} Category:1928 births Category:2023 deaths Category:20th-century Canadian Roman Catholic priests Category:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Canada Category:20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Canada Category:21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Canada Category:Bishops appointed by Pope Paul VI Category:Bukovina-German people Category:Canadian accordionists Category:Canadian people of Austrian descent Category:Canadian Roman Catholic bishops Category:Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Category:Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate Category:Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Winnipeg Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Vancouver Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Kamloops Category:University of Ottawa alumni