So, Calgary is where they have this really big rodeo called the Calgary Stampede (left).
See! There’s something good about Canada!
In fact, there’s more than one thing, because some of that cowboy spirit is apparently present in episcopal corridors in Calgary as well.
Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary has been saying things like:
Since homosexuality, adultery, prostitution, and pornography undermine the foundations of the family, the basis of society, then the State must use its coercive power to proscribe or curtail them in the interests of the common good.
Cool, huh!
Well, the good biship has been the recipient of criticism, "human rights complaints," and death threats.
Despite that, the bishop has responded:
I stand by the letter, I wouldn’t change one comma, one iota of that letter.
His disheartened by the fact that the Canadian Free Speech Denial CommissionHuman Rights Commission has not dismissed the complaints against him out of hand, but he says:
Freedom of religion and freedom of speech are foundational, and if we’re to have an honest debate in society, all the voices have to be heard, including that of the churches. I think I’m owed an apology for putting me through this rigmarole of harassment and intimidation and attempt to silence me.
I’m Canadian. Unfortunately bishops that have the same kind of spine as Bishop Henry are in the extreme minority (possibly no others)- in fact minority is probably too big a word. Pray for this Bishop – he could be facing significant punishment for his “hate crime”. In theory,(although probably not from this court)possibly even jail time (Bill C-250).
Remember, unlike the United States, a much more significant percentage of Canadians and therefore it’s politicians and therefore its Prime Ministers are Catholic. Have the Bishops enforced the Vaticans recent documents on voting against anti-family laws? Have they said anything when the leader of our nation proudly proclaims “I am a Catholic and I am pro choice”?
Last night, I guess in order to balance the constant vatican television coverage, our state owned and tax payer funded television station had a documentary on the “facts” that faith and religion originate in the temporal lobes of the brain, and are purely “biological”.
Please pray for all the Bishops everywhere, they need some calcium in their bones!
I just don’t get it. Why are religious sanctions only practiced, in any sort of real manner, by protestant groups? There was a time when Catholics were famous for it.
If an Evangelical backed canidate tried something like support of abortion in the US the religious community would *eat* *him* *alive*. Can you imagine if Bush had gone from his ambivalent pro-life stance to pro-abortion prior to the election? He would have lost in a land-slide.
The most attractive thing about Catholocism to me is the religious conservatism. However, that conservatism seems to only be practiced in papal documents.
The Catholic Church excommunicated legislators for supporting segregation. Let us pray that the bishops regain that spirit.
We definitely need more bishops like Bishop Henry.
He is very brave for speaking up.