Catholic Register Staff

Catholic Register Staff

June 29, 2007

Difficult dialogue

The Anglican Church of Canada dodged a bullet last month. By the tiniest of margins, it failed to approve the blessing of same-sex couples. Yet the manner in which it did so suggests that the issue will continue to plague Anglicans worldwide, along with Roman Catholics, who are far from disinterested observers.

 

June 21, 2007

Mid-life whinging

Canada, celebrating its 140th birthday as a nation, is no longer the rosy-cheeked debutante at the international ball, shyly stepping on to the international stage with a fetching impertinence founded on idealism and naiveté. No, in the family of nations we are now the middle-aged aunt, whinging about our bigger siblings and issuing stern lectures on matters over which we have no influence, all the while ignoring our own advice.
We are often urged to read the “signs of the times” to discern what God is calling us to do in our lives and in our church. How we read those signs will determine not only our outlook on the future, but also influence our sense of energy and purpose.
June 4, 2007

Some Inquisition

Dr. Shiraz Dossa, a Muslim professor of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., protests a little too much. In an essay published in the June issue of the Literary Review of Canada , he accuses his Roman Catholic employer of authorizing “a small Spanish Inquisition” and sanctioning “a crusade against a Muslim Holocaust scholar” (that would be Dossa).
May 24, 2007

The wrong road

It’s difficult to comprehend why Amnesty International has persisted in going down the dark path toward embracing abortion as a human “right.” Yet it has done so, despite entreaties around the globe from both its members and friends outside the organization.
May 22, 2007

Turn on the tap

All those letter-writing campaigns and petitions do occasionally hit their mark. Recent evidence can be found in the growing tide of opinion against the current mega-fashion of buying bottled water.
Is the current challenge to Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic education system a tempest in a teapot? Perhaps, or perhaps not. Regardless, there is never a time when Catholics can be complacent about their cherished separate schools in Ontario, or anywhere in the country.
June 7, 2007

Ode to fathers

It’s customary for some segments of society to view Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, not to mention Valentine’s Day, as marketing occasions for greeting cards, florists and golf retailers. Cynicism should be set aside, however, as these special days mark important aspects of human relationships that deserve special recognition in this Age of the Individual.
Children are the latest hot marketing tool, used not just to sell sugar-coated cereal to Mom, but also to pry open wallets by appeals to the heart from a wide assortment of public lobby groups.
November 30, 2007

What he didn't say

{mosimage}Cardinal Marc Ouellet appears to be taking a page from Calgary Bishop Fred Henry’s book when it comes to media coverage. The archbishop of Quebec has found himself on the front pages of daily newspapers well outside his province talking about — wait for it — religion.