After last week’s Canada-wide street protests pitting parental rights advocates against transgender champions, context can be illuminating. Light can be shed, for example, by recalling the way activists and strategists for the gay rights movement employed a brilliantly effective two-tiered tactical approach to gain victory in the pursuit of same-sex marriage a quarter century ago.

Statement by Joseph Hazboun, regional director of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) in Jerusalem, marking the International Day of Peace and the National Day of Prayer for Peace in the Holy Land.

There are several themes that emerge from watching the 1 Million Person March 4 Children in Ottawa on Sept. 20. Organized by Kamel El-Cheikh, an Ottawa-based Muslim father, this community was galvanized into action when a teacher in Edmonton criticized a Muslim student who had been absent for Pride activities in June. The audio recording went viral, largely because the teacher’s conclusion was that without agreement on issues of gender and sexuality, the student doesn’t belong in Canada. If that doesn’t galvanize protest, I don’t know what will. And it did.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging left-leaning activists to sharpen their listening skills if they want public support. Pray the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association gets the message.

A pastoral letter from Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross