In the criminal justice system there are more grey areas than black and white, particularly when it comes to 20- and 30-year-old sex crimes.When an adult tells church officials that as a child he or she was abused in the church, the internal process these days is pretty clear. But what about the police?
When Fr. George Smith was accused this May of inappropriately touching a young person while working in Deer Lake, Nfld., between 1986 and 1991 he was immediately suspended from his duties as a parish priest in Prince Edward Island. An internal investigation was launched in the diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador. Police, however, were left out of the picture.
Teen pregnancies down by a third, study says
By Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - Increased use of birth control and improved sex education in schools may be keys to a 10-year decline in Canada’s teen birth and abortion rate, according to a new study by the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada.Canada’s teen birth and abortion rate fell by 36.9 per cent from 1996 to 2006, said the study published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality. The study used Statistics Canada figures. The United States saw a drop of 25 per cent compared to 4.75 for England and Wales and a 19.1-per-cent jump for Sweden, according to the study.
Opposition attacks 'anti-Christian bigotry'
By Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic News
OTTAWA - Recent attacks by federal politicians on Opus Dei have raised concerns about efforts to drive Christians out of public life.A number of Opposition politicians accused Opus Dei of being “fundamentalist,” right wing and “creepy” and having an undue influence on the Tory government, attacks that began after Msgr. Fred Dolan, Vicar for Opus Dei in Canada, spoke at a May 26 luncheon at the Parliamentary restaurant for MPs, Senators and Parliament Hill staff.
Canadian archbishops among apostolic visitors to Ireland
By Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic NewsOTTAWA - Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins and Ottawa's Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J., are among nine church leaders who will join an apostolic visit to Ireland to help the Irish Church reeling from a sexual abuse crisis.
“It’s a common practice when there is a problem or a struggle or a difficulty of any kind for the Holy See to have a visitation,” said Collins.
Toronto diaconate grows by 16
By Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - Deacon Rudy Ovcjak says being in a hospital room and sharing the hope and love of God to patients, like a woman whose faith was shaken while battling an illness, has provided an excellent training ground for his new ministry.Ovcjak, 47, was ordained with 15 other men as a deacon for the archdiocese of Toronto on May 29 at St. Michael’s Cathedral. More than 500 people were in attendance at the packed cathedral to witness the ordination by Toronto Auxiliary Bishop Vincent Nguyen, the archdiocese's Vicar of Deacons.
PEI priest suspended
By Catholic Register Staff
An allegation of abuse in Newfoundland has triggered the immediate suspension of a priest in Prince Edward Island.P.E.I. Bishop Richard Grecco suspended Fr. George Smith from pastoral duties at St. Malachy’s Church in Kinkora, P.E.I. within 24 hours of learning of the allegation against Smith in the diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador.
Vigil supports American soldier
By Michael Swan, The Catholic Register
As Jeremy Hinzman faced final judgment on whether Canada would keep him, Parliament began debate on a bill that would force the government to respect the conscience of U.S. soldiers like Hinzman who fled to Canada rather than fight in Iraq.The Federal Court of Appeal has reserved judgment on legal issues underpinning Hinzman’s application for humanitarian and compassionate leave to remain in Canada despite a 2008 deportation order. The court’s decision on Hinzman’s case could take months.
Diabetic volunteers need threatens health care study
By Michael Swan, The Catholic Register
A St. Michael’s Hospital doctor and researcher trying to save millions of Canadians from an early death, blindness and organ failure can’t rustle up enough volunteers to complete a study. Dr. David Jenkins needs 400 people with type two diabetes — the kind people normally get over the age of 45, but is increasingly showing up among overweight young people. After months of advertising, Jenkins has recruited fewer than 70 volunteers to take on special diets and monitor their health.
Jesus crosses from Quebec to Ontario
By Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic News
OTTAWA - A eucharistic procession across the Ottawa River to Parliament Hill May 22 provided a sign of the spread of a new youth movement’s from Quebec to the rest of Canada.The Pentecost Eve procession crowned the May 21-24 Youth Summit/Montée Jeunesse here. The summits began in the years leading up to the 2008 International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City as a way of harnessing youth creativity and energy. Now the Summits continue as a fruit of the congress. The Ottawa summit was the sixth and the first held outside of Quebec.
Lawsuit seeks answers in infant’s death
By Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - Annie Farlow would have turned five on May 25. She died in 2005, 80 days after being born with a congenital genetic disorder called Trisomy 13.Five years later, Annie’s parents are still fighting to get answers about how their baby died.
Tim and Barbara Farlow, the parents of nine children, filed suit in small claims court against Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital in 2007. It has since become a medical malpractice lawsuit that was transferred to Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice last September.
New Toronto clergy appointments
By Catholic Register Staff
The following clergy appointments have been announced for the Archdiocese of Toronto, effective June 30 - July 1, 2010.