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May 2011

May 18

Catholics are once again embracing meatless Fridays

May 18, 2011

Fish’n’chips, anyone? It’s either that or, given the preponderance of Indian takeout in England today, vegetable samosas and prawn curry for Catholics on Friday come this fall. Last week the Catholic bishops of England and Wales decided to bring back Friday abstinence from meat, an initiative of potentially enormous significance. The abandonment of Friday abstinence was one of the great pastoral blunders in history, a self-inflicted neutering of Catholic identity and an assault on our own tradition. Its restoration marks a sign of increasing Catholic confidence and common sense. According to the universal law of the Church, all Fridays, save for those which coincide with solemn feasts (e.g. St. John the Baptist this year), are days of abstinence — no eating meat. But the Code of Canon Law permits the bishops of various countries to modify the rule. Most countries did just that some 40 years ago, saying that while the obligation to do penance held, each Catholic could choose for himself what that penance might be. The upshot was that Friday communal penance disappeared almost entirely. Not completely — I often eat at the cathedral in Kingston where, like many religious houses, there is no meat on Fridays, and at our chaplaincy activities at Newman House the students themselves are attentive to Friday abstinence. Yet most Catholics don’t observe it, and several generations may not have even heard about it. In England, the noted historian Eamon Duffy, a self-styled Catholic liberal, called for the return of Friday abstinence in 2004, writing in the flagship journal of all things Catholic and trendy, The Tablet. “Friday abstinence in particular was a focus of Catholic identity which transcended class and educational barriers, uniting ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Catholics in a single eloquent observance. Here was a universally recognized expression of Catholicism which was nothing to do with priests or authority,” he wrote. The trend of abolishing distinctive marks of Catholic identity now seems dated. In 1967, when getting rid of compulsory Friday abstinence, the English bishops wrote: “While an alternative dish is often available, it is questioned whether it is advisable in our mixed society for a Catholic to appear singular in this matter. Non-Catholics know and accept that we do not eat meat on Fridays, but often they do not understand why we do not, and in consequence regard us as odd.” By “odd” the bishops of the day meant “different,” and by different, they meant not Protestant. In a desire to fit in, to seem less, well, Catholic, the English bishops made themselves, in fact, less Catholic. Today though, any Catholic serious about his faith wants to be different from the toxic culture in which he lives. Being different is helped by doing things differently. The spiritual purpose of Friday abstinence is a communal penance to recall the Lord’s passion, but as a marker of Catholic identity it is far more needed now than 50 years ago when it was universally observed. Friday abstinence gives us a chance for mutual encouragement and public witness. Invited for dinner on Friday? It permits us to mention ahead of time that we don’t eat meat — an indirect way of saying that my Catholic faith is important, and that I am not ashamed of it. After all, if one can proudly announce that one doesn’t eat beef because bovine flatulence is causing climate change, abstaining from meat in recollection of the redemption of the whole world seems reasonable enough. And if the world should think us odd? We then find ourselves in the tradition of St. Paul, who was willing to be thought a fool for Christ. Moreover, the far greater danger is that the world does not think us odd for being Catholic, given what the world considers normal. In recent years, the practice of voluntary Friday abstinence has become more prevalent, especially among younger Catholics who are precisely seeking a greater sense of Catholic identity and for ways of bringing their faith into their daily lives. Friday abstinence is a relatively easy way to give witness at work, at school and even in the family. It’s not a terribly great sacrifice, if at all. As a boy I looked forward to Friday dinners as the aforementioned prawn curry and other fish and seafood dishes were my favourites. It can pinch at times, but at least a pinch of penance needs to be part of every Christian life, especially on Fridays. The new primate of Canada, Archbishop Gérald Lacroix of Quebec City, wears a small fish hook pin on his lapel. It’s a symbol of the new evangelization; he’s a fisher of men. Fish on Friday can be a wider reminder too of who we are and our evangelical mission. (Fr. de Souza is the pastor of Sacred Heart of Mary parish on Wolfe Island and chaplain at Newman House at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ont.)

Charles Lewis: Finding a home away from home at Madonna House

May 18, 2011

Catherine de Hueck Doherty [images/stories/international/internation11/catherine-de-hueck-doherty.jpg]Four years ago I was working on a story for the National Post about young women who enter the religious life. I wanted to speak to women who had just become nuns or were considering a vocation. Once I found them I was going to ask them the same question their friends and family would have asked: Why? Why give up an independent life? Why give up sex, marriage and children? Why let your education go for naught? It was suggested I talk to someone at Madonna House, a religious community located in Combermere, Ont., about 300 kilometres north of Toronto in the Madawaska River Valley. I assumed I was being directed to an order of nuns — because where else would I find young women who had decided to lead a life of poverty, chastity and obedience? I went to their web site to find out a bit more but was left confused by what I read. Better put, I could not easily slot it into a simple, known category. It described itself as a “family of Christian lay men, women and priests, striving to incarnate the teachings of Jesus Christ by forming a community of love.” The late Catherine de Hueck Doherty, a Russian baroness who fled the communists, and whose cause for canonization is now under way, founded the community more than 60 years ago. Before coming to Combermere, she had set up friendship houses for the poor in Harlem and Toronto and along the way befriended the likes of Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton, the author of The Seven Storey Mountain. Along with her husband Eddie, a famed Chicago journalist, she envisioned a new kind of Catholic community that defied traditional definitions. The members all take promises, similar to vows, but the women are not nuns and the laymen are not monks or brothers. More unusual too was the idea that men and women would take vows of chastity but work, eat and pray together. I would not have been surprised to discover a backwoods Catholic cult consisting of lost souls and drifters. The first morning I arrived, Susanne Stubbs, one of the community’s three directors, met me in the parking lot. At that moment a stream of people was moving along one of the dirt paths to the chapel for vespers. It was a cool morning and most everyone was dressed in jeans and plaid shirts. Inside was an array of icons lit by a natural golden light while most of the Madonna House residents found a place on the floor to kneel or sit in contemplation. I am not sure I have ever experienced such a deep silence among so many people. After vespers everyone walked to the main dining room for a simple meal of porridge and brown bread. The conversation was lively and I felt completely welcome, as if I were an old friend. Soon after the residents went off to the myriad jobs — the farm, publishing house, sorting room for donated clothes — that have kept Madonna House running. Eventually I found my interview subjects, two wonderful young women who again defied categorization. Suffice to say they were bright, self-aware and open to all my questions, the same questions that had been asked by bewildered family and friends. They were also educated and understood that life offered many possibilities but this is what they wanted. They chose Madonna House, instead of a traditional order, because it spoke to them of a holy life they had always been reaching for but could never put into words. I eventually got my story but by the time that I began my drive back to Toronto I knew I had fallen in love with the place. I assumed at first this was an infatuation — a result of spending a few intense days among such wonderful people. But it turned out to be a greater sense of love than I could have ever imagined. I have been back to Madonna House several times. Each time I go I feel closer to the people there and have the sense that I found a home away from home. (Charles Lewis writes about religion for the National Post and is the editor of the paper’s religion site, Holy Post.)

Deacon Peter Doyle: Remember the words ‘Thou shalt not kill’

May 18, 2011

People react to the death of Osama bin Laden in Times Square in New York early May 2. The al-Qaida leader was killed in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan ending a nearly 10-year hunt for the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. (CNS photo/Eric Thayer, Reuters) [images/stories/international/internation11/binladendeadcelebrations.jpg]Marshall McLuhan’s global village and our modern electronic media were in full evidence on the first weekend of May when, within about 48 hours, millions watched the sacred nuptials of Will and Kate, more millions were in the Vatican or watched on television as beloved pontiff Blessed John Paul was beatified and then on Sunday night we, along with some 56 million Americans, watched as nine American television networks broke away from their regular schedules to air President Barack Obama’s nine-minute speech on the killing of Osama bin Laden. I took with me to bed that night four remarks from the president: a) on becoming president, Obama said he would “make the killing or the capture of Osama bin Laden a priority,” (b) “to bring him to justice,” (c) “after a fire fight they killed bin Laden” and (d) “justice has been done.” After his speech I was not prepared to take to the streets like millions of American did to celebrate the killing of one of the worst terrorists of recent times. I reflected on the events of the weekend, and as the week unfolded I saw the facts surrounding the killing of bin Laden change several times. It now appears that the U.S. Navy SEALs never intended to take bin Laden alive. He was not armed or reaching for a rifle during the raid, as reported, and certainly it was never the intention to take him to the U.S. for trial. Judaism and Christianity share the Ten Commandments and for over 3,500 years the fifth commandment has been clear and unambiguous: “Thou shalt not kill.” History shows that it has been one of the most abused commandments. Graveyards are filled with corpses who suffered at the hands of those who disobeyed this commandment. Our Bible records the first killing, that of Adam and Eve’s son Abel by his brother Cain. The Church teaches that all life is sacred from the moment of conception to natural death. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end; no one can claim for themselves the right to destroy another human being. The Church does recognize some special circumstances, such as legitimate defence, just war and others, but in my view none of those are applicable to bin Laden’s killing. Blessed John Paul coined two phrases during his pontificate: “the culture of life” and “the culture of death.” He used the “culture of life” phrase to describe our way of life based upon the theological truth that human life at all stages from conception through natural death is sacred. The phrase “culture of death” was used to describe all that opposes the “culture of life,” such as abortion, murder, suicide, unjust wars, cloning, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research and some others. In his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope Blessed John Paul wrote that “for man, the right to life is the fundamental right . . . the right to life means the right to be born and then continue to live until one’s natural end . . . As long as I live, I have the right to live.” Several days after bin Laden was killed, film producer Michael Moore had an interesting take on bin Laden’s death. He was quoted as saying that as an American citizen with faith in America’s justice system, he believed bin Laden should have been captured and taken to the United States for trial. “We have lost something of our soul in this country — maybe I’m just an old-school American who believes in our judicial system,” he said. I think Moore is right that America may have lost something of its soul that day. In these difficult times we need to redouble our efforts to build a world of peace and a culture of life. On the Sunday morning of bin Laden’s death, the Gospel from Luke told the story of Doubting Thomas. Jesus said to His followers three times, “Peace be with you.” That same day, at the beatification of Blessed John Paul, we were reminded of the words from his first homily in St. Peter’s Square: “Be not afraid.” As John Paul wrote in Crossing the Threshold of Life, “These are not words said into a void. They are profoundly rooted in the Gospel story. They are simply the words of Christ Himself.” (Deacon Doyle is office manager with The Catholic Register.)

June is Italian Heritage Month

May 18, 2011

Italian Heritage Month [images/stories/canada/canada11/italianheritagemonth.jpg]TORONTO - Ontario’s first Italian Heritage Month kicks off on June 2 and will pay homage to the Italian Canadian community’s cultural and religious heritage. Michael Tibollo, president of the National Congress of Italian Canadians, formally introduced the line-up of Italian Heritage Month featuring exhibits, lectures, concerts and other festivities throughout the GTA at a May 11 press conference at Queen’s Park. “One of the pillars of the Italian culture has always been the religious aspect of it,” Tibollo told The Register after the announcement.

Alone, afraid and longing for family reunification

May 18, 2011

Wafi Shara shows the bullet she was struck with during an attack on a Baghdad church. (Photo by Michael Swan) [images/stories/canada/canada11/bulletiraq.jpg]TORONTO - Wafi Shara lived through the attack on Baghdad’s Syriac Catholic cathedral Oct. 31, 2010, but the bullet Italian doctors removed from her leg still holds her captive. Shara spends all day in a tiny, two-room apartment in midtown Toronto praying, crying and wishing to be reunited with her brother Wafi Youssif. The damage to her leg has left her with limited mobility. She’s in a strange city with few friends, working hard to improve her English. While her brother would prefer to come to Canada, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees staff are recommending him for the United States. Youssif is now trying to decide whether to remain in Jordan and hope someone in Canada can sponsor him, going back to Baghdad where he fears for his family’s safety or going to the United States where he knows no one. In Toronto living on about $600 a month, Shara carries with her the fears that became part of life in Baghdad as the city descended into rounds of violence and sectarian cleansing of neighbourhoods. She asked us not to photograph her face for this article. As she lay wounded underneath a pew in Our Lady of Salvation Cathedral, Shara saw her niece Raghda escape into the vestry. Shara thought perhaps her niece had been smart to get out of the main part of the church. In the end, Raghda was the only one of about 50 people crammed into the vestry who was killed. Shara now finds herself in the country her niece dreamed about in Baghdad. The 61-year-old single Shara finds it a bit cruel that she is now in Canada in her niece’s place. “She is the bridge for me to come to Canada. She wished to come to Canada,” said Shara. The former school teacher lived with her brother in Baghdad and helped raise Raghda. Separated from the city she once loved and from almost all of her family, Shara wants nothing more than to be reunited with her brother. “I am alone here. I live alone. I want him here with me.” With her wound still fresh, Shara was evacuated from Baghdad to Italy for surgery and physiotherapy. There she met with Pope Benedict XVI before Canada stepped in to sponsor her as a refugee. Until and unless she has her brother back at her side, safely here in Canada, Shara remains in limbo — the journey still not completed and so many left behind.

A refugee’s tale of horror

May 18, 2011

Jinan and Wafi Youssif hold a photo of their daughter Raghda, one of the victims of last October’s church massacre in Baghdad. (Photo by Fr. Don Doll, S.J.) [images/stories/canada/canada11/iraqrefugeehorror.jpg]AMMAN, JORDAN - Wafi Youssif asked his daughter Raghda not to go to church because churches had been bombed for years. She told her dad: “If I have to die, I don’t mind dying in church.” Raghda did. She bled to death in Baghdad’s Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Catholic Church, Oct. 31 last year, only 40 days after her wedding day. Terrorists stormed the church during Mass, locked the doors, cut the electricity and began their killing spree. Wafi and Jinan Youssif told me the story of their 22-year-old daughter in their Amman apartment where they lived since fleeing Baghdad. They showed me the near-perfect grades she earned studying for her PhD in chemical engineering, the plaque she was given for representing the Syriac Catholic youth community at a National Eucharistic Congress in Amman and the photos of her crowning the statue of Mary in May at their church in 2008.

Catholic missions add to charm of historic Arizona

May 18, 2011

Like North America’s largest gem and mineral show every February. Like Kitt Peak National Observatory, which has the largest collection of telescopes — 26 — in the world. The Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, though not associated, is nearby at Mt. Graham. For snowbirders and those who simply love the myriad charms of the American southwest — from adobe architecture to jagged mountains and sweeping desert vistas — you can add the Spanish Catholic missions between Tucson and the Mexican border. Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales, a distance of about 100 km, features two significant missions, both national historic sites. There are two other abandoned missions that can also be toured. There is also the presidio (fort) at Tubac, which protected the missions. These missions form the most northern settlements of a string of 24 stretching well into Mexico’s Sonora state. Southern Arizona, of course, was once part of Mexico. But before that, when these missions were founded, it was part of colonial Spain.

Forgiveness as the secret of peace

May 18, 2011

Rwandan Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga saw 80 family members and 45,000 of his parishioners killed in the Rwandan genocide, but has been able to forgive the perpetrators. (Photo by Katsey Long) [images/stories/canada/canada11/frubaldrwandan.jpg]During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga lost 80 members of his family and 45,000 members of his parish. He later found the people who murdered his family and despite the pain they inflicted on him, Rugirangoga was able to forgive them for their crimes. And then he went one step further — he paid for the education of the daughter of the man who murdered his mother. Otherwise, the girl would have had no opportunity of going to school. Rugirangoga said he has discovered the secret of peace is through forgiveness. And so, he set about creating the Centre for the Secret of Peace in Rwanda as part of his vocation to bring peace, reconciliation and forgiveness to the Rwandan people. “I want to build a centre of peace because I am engaged in the peace process after the genocide in Rwanda,” Rugirangoga told The Catholic Register.

Group helping young men keep the faith

May 18, 2011

José Mendez [images/stories/ysn/ysn11/josemendezysn.jpg]VICTORIA - Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is inspiring young men in a new way — through a Catholic apologetics and discussion group named in his honour. “I saw (him as) a real positive role model of masculinity,” said Mark Theobald, a teacher at St. Andrew’s Regional High School, who founded the group in March. “In our society, if we live our faith we are counter-cultural and he experienced that as well.” Frassati’s Men’s Group meets monthly at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Victoria to discuss issues facing young Catholic men such as chastity, prayer and the relationship between faith and reason. It targets men ages 18 to 30, aiming to encourage the faith of Catholic men after high school. The group’s most recent meeting on May 13 discussed how promiscuity undermines masculinity. Pier Giorgio Frassati was a social activist who devoted his life to helping the poor in his hometown of Turin in Italy. He died of polio in 1925 at the age of 24 and was beatified in 1990 by Blessed John Paul II.

Altar relic added for youth

May 18, 2011

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - A bone belonging to St. Maria Goretti has been added to the new altar at St. Francis of Assisi parish in Mississauga in honour of young people. Joining the relics of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi — which were transferred from the old altar at the end of March — it is a “first class relic,” said Fr. Joseph Grima, pastor at St. Francis of Assisi. Grima said this means the bone has documentation from the Vatican confirming it is from St. Maria Goretti. Grima said he chose the relic of St. Maria Goretti because she presents youth with a model of purity to look up to. “In our society today we’ve kind of lost the idea of conserving or giving our purity to the Lord,” he said. “This (the presence of relics in the altar) is a good reminder to us that when we celebrate Mass, we celebrate with all the saints and angels in heaven.” St. Maria Goretti was only 11 years old when a young man named Alexander tried to rape her. She resisted, and consequently, the young man killed her. Before dying, Maria forgave him. The murderer later realized his wrongdoings after a dream he had of Maria and went to apologize to her mother. She chose to die rather than submit to the young man, said Grima. “She believed it (her virginity) was a value that she wanted to hold dearly.” (Gagliano, 20, is a life sciences student at the University of Toronto.)

Anonymous donor sparks return of St. Francis to his rightful spot

May 18, 2011

TORONTO - He once was lost but now is found. A new statue of St. Francis of Assisi was unveiled and blessed May 13 at St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School in the heart of Toronto’s Little Italy. The previous statue was stolen and vandalized in mid-November. The original statue was a white garden statue of St. Francis not more than three feet tall. The new statue stands at four feet and features the distinctive Franciscan brown habit in colour. The driving force behind replacing the statues was an an anonymous donor, whose initial donation sparked an outpouring of generosity from the school community, says principal Connie Giordano. The Hamilton, Ont., businessman came to the school and spoke with Giordano about making a $200 donation to replace the statue. Although he wasn’t Catholic, he made the donation because he had an admiration for St. Francis, Giordano said.

Marching for life in Ottawa

May 18, 2011

OTTAWA - Whether it was the national anthem, the music echoing from Parliament Hill or the chants erupting in the streets of Ottawa, the voice of the 2011 March for Life was a youthful one. That voice first belonged to 16-year-old singer Carly Taylor, who began the May 12 pro-life march by singing of O Canada. But she was quickly joined by the estimated crowd of 15,000, including thousands of youth and young people from more than 70 schools, chaplaincies and youth groups from across Ontario. “You’re the landlords here,” MP Royal Galipeau of Ottawa-Orléans told the young people gathered in front of Parliament Hill. “People like me are just the tenants.” Galipeau was one of more than a dozen speakers and witnesses to take the podium. That list also included Mario St. Francis, a former model and actor who came to the march from Washington.

Seeing the other side

May 18, 2011

Before the 2011 March for Life in Ottawa, I always assumed I’d be able to take on any pro-choice arguments and brush off any criticism that came my way in response to the unpopular, “sexist” and “outdated” pro-life beliefs I held. The only problem was that I’d never actually heard those arguments or received that criticism — until the march. The most memorable and impacting part of the march was encountering the pro-choice protesters along the side of the streets as we walked through our nation’s capital. The unfamiliar conflict was unsettling and uncomfortable. The lingering impact of these protesters, though I didn’t realize it at the time, would ultimately lead to a renewed perspective on this complex issue. I was shocked by the anger of many on the pro-choice side, especially in contrast with the overall joyful and peaceful atmosphere of the march. Some of them were swearing at the marchers, singing vulgar chants and holding offensive signs.

Golden Rule could justify bin Laden killing: scholar

May 18, 2011

TORONTO - The United States failed the most basic test of the Golden Rule in its reaction to the 9/11 attacks, but killing Osama bin Laden could be justified on the basis of the do-unto-others rule, Fr. Harry Gensler told a gathering of Golden Rule enthusiasts at Scarboro Missions May 11. The Jesuit author of 14 books on ethics and logic would have preferred that bin Laden be captured. And the American priest is appalled by celebrations over his death. But an argument for killing bin Laden could be made using the Golden Rule as a starting point, he said. “You have to be able to say that if I do all those things, the acts of terror, etc., then I’m willing that I should be killed,” said Gensler, a philosophy professor at John Carroll University in Cleveland. On the broader question of all of the ways the United States has employed its military in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, America can’t claim a Golden Rule justification for its actions, according to Gensler.

Vatican orders abuse guidelines be drafted for each diocese

May 18, 2011

VATICAN CITY - Every bishops’ conference in the world must have guidelines for handling accusations of clerical sex abuse in place within a year, said the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In a letter dated May 3 and released by the Vatican May 16, Cardinal William Levada, congregation prefect, said that in every nation and region, bishops should have “clear and co-ordinated procedures” for protecting children, assisting victims of abuse, dealing with accused priests, training clergy and co-operating with civil authorities. Describing sexual abuse of minors as “a crime prosecuted by civil law,” the doctrinal congregation said bishops should follow local laws that require reporting cases of sexual abuse to police. Since the early 1990s about two dozen bishops’ conferences, starting mainly with English-speaking countries, have drawn up guidelines for dealing with accusations of sexual abuse of minors filed against clergy and other Church employees. Canada has them in place. Other conferences — for example, the Italian bishops’ conference — have said they did not draw up guidelines because bishops were obliged to follow canon law and special provisions enacted in 2001 by Blessed Pope John Paul II and in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Anglican ordinariate back on track after Aussie meltdown

May 18, 2011

TORONTO - A leaked private e-mail between two Australian bishops that was critical of Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins briefly threatened to halt the process of forming a Catholic Anglican ordinariate in Canada. The message from Traditional Anglican Communion primate Archbishop John Hepworth to Melbourne’s Catholic Bishop Peter Elliott accused Collins of “the wanton destruction of their (Anglican Catholic Church of Canada) communities, the absolute disregard for their ecclesial integrity, and the brutish manner in which these edicts are being communicated.” Hepworth said that he and Anglican Catholic Church of Canada Bishop Peter Wilkinson would immediately place “on hold” further steps toward creating an ordinariate in Canada. Collins has been put in charge of the processes of forming an ordinariate for ex-Anglicans in Canada under the terms of the 2009 apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus. In a statement posted to the archdiocese of Toronto’s web site May 16, Collins said his job was to offer the terms of Anglicanorum Coetibus to any and all former Anglicans, not just the Traditional Anglican Communion, of which the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada is a member.

May 19

Peterborough diocese, Trent U. takes steps to establish Catholic college

May 19, 2011

The diocese of Peterborough and Trent University have signed a memorandum of understanding to help further discussions and set guidelines in establishing the future Sacred Heart College, a Catholic liberal arts college in Peterborough. "It's important that now after a couple of years of discussion with Trent that we've entered into an understanding whereby both the future Sacred Heart College and Trent University are going to co-operate on establishing a relationship that will allow us to grant credit for courses," said Fr. Joseph Devereaux, chancellor of the Peterborough diocese, of the future university college which will be located in the basement of Sacred Heart parish. The memorandum says that the college and Trent agree to "work together to explore the potential for delivery of distinctive and complementary educational opportunities," such as transfer credit recognition and degree completion pathways.

Quebec parents challenge ethics and religious culture course

May 19, 2011

OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments May 18 in a religious freedom case that pits parental rights against Quebec’s mandatory Ethics and Religious Culture program (ERC). The case was brought by a Roman Catholic couple from Drummondville, Que., who requested their two children be exempted from the ERC. Their name is protected by a publication ban. Mark Phillips one of the two lawyers representing the parents, said the government insists the ERC is “about teaching tolerance and diversity.” The parents have nothing against those objectives, he said, but they say the course is “a form of indoctrination,” seeking to cultivate worldview and a framework for ethics that is different from their Catholic faith. Co-counsel Mark Pratt told the court “the state has no right to program people” in arguing for the prior rights of parents to educate their children and to choose how that education is delegated. Many of the questions from the bench concerned whether the onus should be on the parents to prove harm, or whether the state had the onus to prove its course was neutral on religion.

May 20

In Libya, religious continue to offer care, service to migrants

May 20, 2011

Syrian children and women arrive in Dabbabieh, in northern Lebanon, May 16. Pope Benedict XVI renewed his appeal for a negotiated settlement in Libya and called for an end to bloodshed in Syria, where civil strife has left hundreds of people dead. [images/stories/international/internation11/libya_refugees.jpg]ROME - Despite the worsening crisis in Libya, religious women and men continue to offer pastoral care and desperately needed services to the country's many migrants. Many of the migrants who have stayed behind have lost their jobs and have nowhere else to go, which leaves them searching for food, medicine, clothing and most of all, rent money, said a nun working just outside of Tripoli. Sister Shirley of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary told Catholic News Service May 20 that the livelihood of many immigrants depended on the once-strong presence of diplomats, oil workers and other foreign professionals. After those professionals left, there was little to no work left for the lower-paid immigrant workers, she said.

TCDSB approves its equity policy

May 20, 2011

TORONTO - Despite concerns voiced by several Catholic parents and ratepayers, the Toronto Catholic District School Board passed its equity and inclusive education policy at a May 19 board meeting. But trustees will vote later on a number of proposed amendments to the policy made by some trustees after these are reviewed by the board's legal counsel. The vote came after months of debate on how a Catholic school board should deal with the equity policy that the provincial government mandated each board come up with. The aim of the 2008 provincial legislation is to combat discrimination in schools based upon sexual orientation, race and religion. The key issue of concern for many was that Catholic denominational rights should be protected in the policy. Many stakeholders in the Toronto Catholic system fear the policy will be hijacked by groups seeking to override teachings of the Catholic Church. The new policy, which passed by a 7-4 margin, states that "any form of social or cultural discrimination is incompatible with Catholic moral principles." It goes on to say "The board further recognizes that we must uphold the protections entrenched in the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Constitution Act 1867 and confirmed in the Constitution Act of 1982 — the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms."