Montreal cardinal returns OC

On September 11, Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, Archbishop of Montreal, announced that he would return his Order of Canada medal to protest the decision announced on July 1 to give the award to abortionist Henry Morgentaler. Cardinal Turcotte said “Until recently, I sincerely believed that the Order of Canada was bestowed upon persons about whom there was a consensus.” He said giving the OC to Morgentaler “generated a great deal of criticism on the part of those who do not share Dr. Morgentaler’s views regarding the respect for human life.”

He said he hoped that the public outcry over the award would result in its reversal but when the Consultative Council for the Order of Canada had not reconsidered by summer’s end, the cardinal did not what his silence to be ‘misinterpreted’. He said: “I feel obliged in conscience to reaffirm my convictions regarding the respect for human life … As a result, I wish to declare that I am renouncing the title of Officer of the Order of Canada … and that I am returning the insignia that was given to me.” Oddly, in an interview with La Presse Cardinal Turcotte said he doesn’t consider himself ‘pro-life’.