DeoOmnisGloria.com

Jay

This is sad. It reminds me of the drift that has occurred in moral theology on the protestant side after Lambeth.

"the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth." 1 Tim 3:15

when we were one

There are actually two Canadian bishops taking a stand. Archbishop Raymond Roussin, and Bishop Fredrick Henry. Bishop Henry has also publicly accused our "devout Catholic" former Prime Minister (Paul Martin) of "moral incoherence" for his support of gay marriage and abortion.

This bishop also challenged another Catholic former Prime Minister in his Diocese (Joe Clark who also supports abortion) concerning receiving the Eucharist (on television) at the funeral of another Catholic former Prime Minister (Pierre Trudeau who brought abortion into Canada). This bishop also said that a pro-abortion, Catholic, former prime minister in his might not receive the honor of bishop presiding at his funeral.

When Bishop Henry stands up for what it is right, I pray that I will have the same courage he doe, he makes me proud to be Catholic. He's a shining example to the diocese, the province, and the country.

Bishop Henry of Calgary, who opposes Amnesty International's change to support abortion has shown us again what it means to fight the good fight.

After asking the Catholic Schools in Calgary to stop using casinos and bingo to raise funds, after waiting patiently for years, after having his requests ignored by the Catholic School Board Trustees, has decided to take action:

"Given the importance of the outstanding issues and my disagreement with the board's conclusions, I will not be presiding at the opening of the year Calgary Catholic District School liturgy," said Henry in the letter dated June 20.

"If satisfactory solutions are not found, other consequences will also be forthcoming in September including the blacklisting of schools that engage in immoral fundraising"

What a privilege to have such a courageous and faithful shepherd! I love my bishop. I only pray that I will play my smaller part with similar courage and dedication.

I'd like to retract my earlier statment about not being able to wait for the Bishop to lead the charge.

Best news of the day. Makes me proud to be a Catholic in Calgary.

The movement of Amnesty International in the direction of recognizing a "right" to kill an unborn child is a matter of great distress to its consistent-life constituency. All those who report on having called AI’s national office in the United States received curt responses stating that AI is maintaining neutrality, in contradiction to the form letters the same people receive after writing to AI. We have found no indication that the phone calls or the letters are being tallied in order to give decision-makers an accurate assessment of the widespread dismay their decisions can cause. The "policy consultation process" the form letter claims to be underway must be problematic when those who call are not having their names and addresses taken down, while being told emphatically that this process is nothing but a rumor.

Accordingly, Consistent Life, an international network for peace, justice and life, is organizing a drive to allow this constituency to be registered and counted (see text below). All those who have ever supported AI are invited to sign it at:

www.petitionspot.com/petitions/consistentlife

We ask sympathizers to forward this message on to all individuals and listserves who may be interested. Links on web pages and notices in newsletters and newspapers would be much appreciated, along with any other ideas for getting the word out.

The on-line format allows a running tally to be seen by anyone at any time. Tallies will be announced to the media periodically at appropriate points.

Registry of Consistent-Life Supporters
of Amnesty International

We have contributed money or actions to Amnesty International, and want to be able to continue to do so in good conscience. We are distressed about the move to frame abortion as a right, rather than understanding it as a form of violence.

Abortion is violence against unborn children. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child states that every child "needs special safeguards and care, including legal protection, before as well as after birth." [Resolution 1386(XIV) of 20 November 1959]

Abortion is violence against women. Unjust pressures on women become more likely with abortion availability, such as sexual exploitation and lack of services or workplace accommodations for mothers. Large numbers of women have indicated that their abortion was a major trauma for them.

We are afraid Amnesty International could lose its most important asset: its credibility. We support AI's advocacy against the death penalty for the guilty. Will the sincerity of this be discounted by some if AI supports legalizing it for the innocent? "Human rights" can be dismissed as partisan propaganda when used by people advocating some form of violence. Because AI's work is so crucial, the consequences of squandering its well-earned reputation are truly dire.

The proposed stand for medical care for women who have had botched abortions is reasonable, as for women who have suffered torture or rape or any other kind of violence. From our point of view, it is in the same category. The current stand AI takes against coerced abortion is also admirable.

Beyond these, since AI has another large constituency that would keep it from taking our position, the previous long-standing position of neutrality on abortion is a reasonable compromise.

Keep up the great work on your blog. Best wishes WaltDe

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