December 10th marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk and spiritual author. He is one of the most widely read Catholic authors of this century and is a favourite among Christians involved in social justice issues. Merton receives very little attention in pro-life circles; this is a shame because there is so much in Merton’s life [...]
I watched the conquerors riding by, with cruel lips and faces wan, Brooding on empires sacked and burned, there rode the Mogul, Genghis Khan. And Alexander, like a god who sought to weld the world in one, and Caesar with his laurel wreath, and like a thing from Hell, the Hun. And leading like a star the van, heedless of upstretched arm [...]
Rose: Archbishop Aloysius Ambrozic, for offering a Mass on the Feast of the Holy Innocents for Catholics in the pro-life movement. His Grace has invited members of the Toronto pro-life movement to offer the Mass and meet him in a reception. The move is seen as a splendid gesture on the part of the Archbishop and will give area pro-life Catholics a [...]
U.S. Bishops formally disown pro-choice lobby group Forget about Catholics for Free Choice—it’s a contradiction in terms. Catholic bishops from the U.S. have put an end to any pretensions Catholics for Free Choice might have to speak as a Catholic organization. They say the pro-abortion group can “in no way speak for the Catholic Church’s 59 million members in the United States. [...]
We seem no sooner over Halloween than Christmas is upon us. Advent is the season before the Nativity in the Church calendar, but in the consumer culture of North America, it is Halloween and then suddenly, overnight, Christmas. Stores remove ghosts and death masks from their window displays and replace them with angels and nativity scenes. Skeletons become newborn babes. In the [...]
Catholic lay people should “accept their responsibility to revitalize society with Gospel values,” the Ontario Catholic Bishops told Pope John Paul in a recent visit. The bishops informed the Pope of the actions of the Ontario New Democrat government in prosecuting pro-lifers in the province, calling special attention to the proposed injunction which would ban most forms of activism. They called the [...]
“Frances Kissling, President of Catholics for Free Choice (CFFC), which frequently appears in the media criticizing church teaching, admitted on WRKO Radio in Boston on August 21 that CFFC is not a membership organization. She also stated that they received funds in the past from Hugh Hefner and Playboy. Her remarks came in a debate on ‘The Jeanine Graf Show’ with C.J. [...]
Pope’s 10th encyclical reaffirms moral teaching The popular notion is that the pro-life movement is predominantly Catholic and Canadian Catholics are solidly pro-life. But as experienced pro-lifers will say, both these generalities can be misleading. Many of the most active pro-lifers in the country come from other denominations or from no church at all. And if this federal election showed anything, it [...]
I have a few books which I treasure but none more than A Gift of Hope, by Tony Melendez. On the fly leaf are written these words, “Fr. Ted. May your words always bring joy and enrich peoples’ hearts. May God bless you. Tony Melendez.” These are not written “by hand.” They are literally written “by foot.” Tony Melendez was born without [...]
With the election in full swing, I decided to pass on some information which may be of help to Catholics, and perhaps others, who do not want to compromise their consciences when they drop that little slip of paper in the ballot box. The Church and Politics Many people, including Catholics, feel that the Church should keep its nose out of politics. [...]
Rose NDP candidates who broke party lines over abortion. The Interim salutes the few and brave NDP election hopefuls who answered “yes” to a Campaign Life Coalition questionnaire asking whether they would support measures to pass a law to protect every pre-born child from the time of conception onward and work to defeat any pro-euthanasia legislation. Please see election insert for their [...]
The president and vice-president of the United States might have been squirming in the face of the world’s great moral leader, but the hundred of thousands of pilgrims who went to be with Pope John Paul II couldn’t get enough of him. The Holy Father spent four days in Denver for what many young pilgrims say was the event of their lifetimes. [...]
B.C. bishop opens pro-life office; Sask. Hospital under fire The Archdiocese of Vancouver has launched a major new strategy to revitalize a dormant Catholic population on pro-life issues. Vancouver Archbishop Adam Exner said the reason the area needs a new push is “because our past efforts have not, as we are painfully aware, been sufficient to halt the murder by abortion of [...]
Antigonish, NS – HLI’s first small-town Strategy Weekend on issues affecting life, faith and family was held here May 14-16. It was attended by some 300 Atlantic Canadians of all ages. Audience participation following each information-packed presentation left no doubt that they felt grave concern about the social and spiritual needs of contemporary Canadian society. A recurring theme throughout the weekend was [...]
Once upon a time – if you looked very closely, you could spot a token Evangelical or two among the throngs of committed Catholics in the pro-life movement. They could be seen off to the side, bible in hand, head bowed in fervent prayer. Now almost anywhere you look – at rallies, life chains, strategy sessions – you’ll find evangelicals fighting for [...]