Register’s Michael Coren honoured for defence of faith

TORONTO - Michael Coren, Catholic author and journalist, has been chosen this year’s recipient of the Catholic Civil Rights League’s Archbishop Adam Exner Award for Catholic Excellence in Public Life.

The annual award recognizes outstanding lay achievement in advocacy, education, life issues and philanthropy.

“Michael’s really done a lot to promote Catholic understanding,” said Joanne McGarry, executive director of the CCRL. She said that Coren was chosen because of his “consistent and clear defence of Catholic teaching in the media.”

“I’m more than happy to be out on the front lines defending the Church, my Church, but the blows, the abuse and the attacks certainly cut deep at times,” said Coren. “So this honour, this affirmation, is wonderful. For someone who always has something to say, I’m almost speechless.”

A Catholic Register columnist, Coren is the host of The Michael Coren Show on CTS television and has written in more than a dozen newspapers across Canada. He has won several awards for both his writing and broadcasting. Last month his Catholic Register column was named the best column in a religious newspaper in Canada. The award comes five weeks after the publication of Coren’s latest book, Why Catholics Are Right.

“I’ve tried in the book to give Catholics the truth behind our history, theology, beliefs and to try to persuade non-Catholics and even anti-Catholics to explore a little deeper,” said Coren about his book, which has been on the bestseller list since its publication — to his surprise, he adds.

“Perhaps there really is a hunger out there for something other than the usual Catholic-bashing nonsense.”

McGarry said readers welcome Coren’s “engaging and entertaining” writing style because it doesn’t hesitate to tackle anti-Catholic and inaccurate opinions.

“People just get so frustrated by the misinformation,” she said. “Overall, there’s a lot of one-sidedness. People appreciate Michael’s ability to provide simple and clear rebuttal.”

Coren will receive the award on June 2 at the League’s annual dinner, which will feature keynote speaker Donald DeMarco, a Catholic author and professor of philosophy at St. Jerome’s University at the University of Waterloo.