[REGINA – Canadian Press] The Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the world’s 70 million Anglicans, has called again for greater Christian unity. “We must seek Christian unity not as a fearful coalition in headlong retreat from the secular world,” Most Rev. Robert Runcie told about 1,300 people at a service yesterday in the Saskatchewan Centre … Read more »… À suivre »
by Bruce Buursma, Chicago Tribune The Vatican’s chief ecumenical officer called Monday for a new effort to draw Roman Catholicism and the World Council of Churches into a closer relationship, challenging a widening perception that the church’s commitment to cooperative Christian efforts is flagging. Johannes Cardinal Willebrands, the Dutch-born president of the Vatican’s Secretariat for … Read more »… À suivre »
by Paul Waters, Montreal Gazette VATICAN CITY – It would be premature for Catholic bishops to apologize for the persecution of Jews through the centuries, according to Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, president of the Secretariat for Christian Unity. A petition circulated among Roman parishes in the last few weeks asks the 165 bishops from around the … Read more »… À suivre »
from the Montreal Gazette [WINNIPEG] The new primate of the Anglican Church of Canada described himself yesterday as an ordinary human being with many limitations, but Archbishop Michael Peers of Regina said the church won’t back away from voicing opinions on social issues. “I believe the church is in the business, at a personal level … Read more »… À suivre »
LONDON (AP-Reuter) – Lord Ramsey, who as archbishop of Canterbury from 1961 to 1974 left his mark as a champion of Christian unity and liberal causes, died yesterday at the age of 83. He had been ill with bronchial pneumonia for several weeks and died at St. John’s Home in Oxford, the Church of England … Read more »… À suivre »
Man on a Mission: Incoming bishop encourages frank talk on future of Catholicism by Jason Warick, Saskatoon Star Phoenix The man who will take over this fall as Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Saskatoon isn’t saying where he stands on controversial issues such as birth control or the ordination of women, but he … Read more »… À suivre »
A response of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church to an expressed need of the Church Editor’s note: This is a pastoral letter responding to the need for alternative pastoral oversight in some dioceses of the Episcopal Church USA. Four important points should be noted: 1) the Bishops distinguish between pastoral oversight and … Read more »… À suivre »
Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has given “a clear and helpful contribution” to the Church of England‘s debate over the consecration of women bishops, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. The gracious response offered by Williams was to be expected between two close friends and theological colleagues. Nevertheless, Kasper’s frank address to the House of Bishops was a sign of the significance that the Vatican places on the English church’s decision. As an exercise in ecumenical brinkmanship it may be unparallelled in recent times. … Read more »… À suivre »
The Anglican Church of Canada‘s General Synod has elected Bishop Fred Hiltz as the church’s new primate. The Evangelical Lutheran Church, meeting in its National Convention has chosen the Rev. Susan Johnson as its new national bishop. … Read more »… À suivre »
(CCCB – Ottawa) – His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI today appointed Father Bryan Bayda, C.Ss.R., as the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchial Bishop of Saskatoon.
The Holy Father also accepted the resignation of Most Reverend Michael Wiwchar, C.Ss.R., who held the position since 2001. Conforming to the mandatory age of retirement at 75, Bishop Wiwchar formally requested retirement following his 75th birthday in May 2007.
Father Bayda was born in Saskatoon on August 21, 1961. Upon completing high school at St. Vladimir’s College Minor Seminary in Roblin, Manitoba, he pursued studies at the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1982 and a Master of Divinity in 1987. Further studies included a Bachelor of Education from the University of Manitoba in 1990 and a Diploma in Eastern Christian theology from the Sheptytsky Institute in Ottawa in 1997.
The newly appointed Eparchial Bishop of Saskatoon made his final profession as a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer on September 13, 1986 and was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 1987. Redemptionists assignments have included serving as a teacher and director of St. Vladimir’s College and formation director of the major seminary of his community, and serving as parish priest in a number of parishes throughout Western Canada. Most recently, he was the pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Yorkton, within the Eparchy of Saskatoon.
The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon includes 21 diocesan priests, three permanent deacons and more than 20 men and women religious who serve a population of 18,000 Catholics in 87 parishes and missions. … Read more »… À suivre »
Fr. Albert Thévenot is new Bishop of Prince Albert
(CCCB – Ottawa) On 26 May 2008, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Most Reverend Blaise Morand as Bishop of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and appointed Father Albert Thévenot, M. Afr., as his successor.
At the time of his nomination, Bishop-elect Thévenot was the Provincial Superior for North America of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), which is based in Montreal. Bishop Morand is retiring as required by Canon Law, having reached the age of 75 years in September 2007.
Born on 4 November 1945, in Somerset, Manitoba, Bishop-elect Thévenot entered the Missionaries of Africa in 1964. After a time of formation, he went to Tanzania from 1973 to 1976 where he taught in the Minor Seminary of Katoke. After a year of studies in Education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, he studied theology at the Missionary Institute of London, England.
After his ordination to the priesthood on 2 August 1980, he successively worked in Tanzania until 1985, then in Canada until 1992, again in Tanzania until 1998, and in Rome until 2004 as a member of the General Council of the Missionaries of Africa. After a period of renewal at the Dominican Institute of Montreal, he became the National Secretary for the French Sector of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith from January 2005 to July 2006, just before his election as Provincial Superior.
The Diocese of Prince Albert has 21 diocesan priests, 8 priests who are members of religious communities and 90 religious Sisters serving over 55,450 Catholics in 87 parishes and missions. … Read more »… À suivre »
The following letter from Bishop Frederick Henry, Roman Catholic bishop of Calgary (Alberta), to Ed Stelmach, Premier of the Province of Alberta, was recently published on the front page of the diocesan website. Bishop Henry is known for his willingness to speak publicly about controversial issues. The Human Rights Commission has been a particular concern of his in the past. This letter provides further insight into Bishop Henry’s concerns.
Dear Premier Stelmach:
I have raised the issue of the Alberta Human Rights Commission several times with you in the past eighteen months. On each of those occasions, you said that you understood the issues and shared my concerns. However, the situation is continuing to deteriorate across our country and the various levels of governments are seemingly non-responsive.
April 2008: The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has ordered an evangelical Christian charity, Christian Horizons, to rescind its morality code and require employees to undergo anti-discriminatory training. In addition, Christian Horizons has been ordered to pay $23,000 plus lost wages for terminating Connie Heritz’s employment based on a morality code which she freely and knowingly signed as a condition of employment and which she failed to adhere to.
Every religious institution should have the jurisdictional independence to determine its own confessions, doctrines and ordinances, including conditions of employment.
May 2008: A Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal has fined a Regina marriage commissioner, Orville Nichols, $2,500 after finding he discriminated against a gay couple when he declined to perform their same-sex ceremony. Nichols, who has performed nearly 2,000 marriages since 1983, had referred the couple to another marriage commissioner because he said his religious beliefs (Baptist) kept him from performing the ceremony.
The conflict between social pressure and the demands of right conscience can lead to the dilemma either of abandoning a profession or of compromising one’s convictions. Faced with that tension, despite the ruling of the Commission, we must remember that there is a middle path which opens up before workers who are faithful to their conscience. It is the path of conscientious objection, which ought to be respected by all, especially legislators.
Every person has the right to have their religious beliefs reasonably accommodated.
Each judgment emanating out of our various Human Rights Commissions seems to be more brazen and bizarre than the one that preceded it. However, for inane stupidity and gross miscarriage of justice our own Alberta Human Rights Tribunal deserves to take first prize for its treatment of Stephen Boissoin.
June 2008: The Alberta Human Rights Tribunal fined Stephen Boissoin, $5,000.
Section 30 of the Alberta Human Rights Act states: “Evidence may be given before a human rights panel in any manner that the panel considers appropriate, and the panel is not bound by the rules of law respecting evidence in judicial proceedings.” It would also seem that this panel is also not bound by reasonable argument or the elementary rules of logic but is free to skewer anyone not espousing and proclaiming politically correct views. Darren Lund, the complainant, said that Boissoin’s words in his 2002 letter to the Red Deer Advocate were hateful, and furthermore, an assault on a gay teenager three weeks later could be connected to them. No proof of either was presented.
Lori Andreachuk, the chairperson of the Tribunal, agreed that his words were “likely” to expose gays, “a vulnerable” group, to hatred due to their sexual orientation. No court in the land would connect the letter and the assault but this silly tribunal did.
Andreachuk acknowledged that “In this case, there is no specific individual who can be compensated as there is no direct victim who has come forward…” However, she also wrote: “Dr. Lund, although not a direct victim, did expend considerable time and energy and suffered ridicule and harassment as a result of his complaint. The Panel finds therefore that he is entitled to some compensation.” One might ask on what grounds?
She concluded that Boissoin “… shall pay to Dr. Lund an award for damages, jointly and severally, in the amount of $5,000.00.” Lund wasn’t the victim of any kind of discrimination and yet he is handsomely paid, and subsequently, feted as Gay Pride Parade Marshall in Calgary.
The tribunal effectively stripped Boissoin of his right to freedom of speech. “Mr. Boissoin ….. shall cease publishing in newspapers, by email, on the radio, in public speeches, or on the Internet, in future, disparaging remarks about gays and homosexuals.” What is meant by “disparaging”? This is tantamount to ruling out honest debate and a plurality of views in the public sphere lest someone be offended by a differing viewpoint.
The tribunal decided to extract a further pound of flesh by way of public humiliation. “Mr. Boissoin and The Concerned Christian Coalition Inc. provide Dr. Lund with a written apology for the article in the Red Deer Advocate which was the subject of this complaint.” What happens if Lund is not satisfied with the apology?
Mr. Premier, we have talked enough about the inadequate provisions of and appointment to the Alberta Human Rights Tribunals, it is time to repeal Section 3(1)(b) of the Alberta Human Rights Act . (“No person shall publish, issue or display or cause to be published, issued or displayed before the public any statement, publication, notice, sign, symbol, emblem or other representation that is likely to expose a person or a class of persons to hatred or contempt because of the race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income or family status of that person or class of persons.”) and to protect the rights of religious freedom. Every person has the right to make public statements and participate in public debate on religious grounds.
On Monday, the General Synod of the Church of England voted to proceed towards the ordination of women to the episcopate. The vote begins a process that is expected to take three years before a final synodal vote. The earliest ordination would likely be in five years. The fallout from the decision is expected much sooner, both at the Lambeth Conference in late July and in the ecumenical dialogues with Roman Catholics and the Orthodox.
The Church of England is not the first province in the Anglican Communion to make this decision. It does, however, come at a time of tension in the Anglican Communion. The Lambeth Conference meeting later this month will address numerous strains on the Communion, including those arising from the ordination of homosexuals and women, and the blessing of same-sex unions. Women’s ordination has been a controversial issue in the Communion since 1976 when the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church in the USA decided to ordain women as priests. In the intervening years, many of the other provinces in the Communion have followed their path, including the Church of England in 1992. Once women were ordained as priests, questions were immediately asked about whether women would be ordained as bishops as well. … Read more »… À suivre »
Au terme de leur Assemblée plénière, qui s’est déroulée à Cornwall, du 22 au 26 septembre, les évêques du Canada ont rendu public un message pastoral intitulé « Un potentiel libérateur ». Les évêques invitent ainsi les baptisés à une découverte — ou une redécouverte — de l’Encyclique Humanae Vitae, publiée en 1968 par le pape Paul VI. … Read more »… À suivre »
At the close of their 2008 Plenary Assembly which met in Cornwall, 22-26 September, the Bishops of Canada issued a pastoral letter, titled “Liberating Potential”, which invites all the faithful “to discover or rediscover,” the message of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae, issued by Pope Paul VI in 1968. … Read more »… À suivre »
The Rev. Michael Hawkins was elected as bishop of the Anglican diocese of Saskatchewan on Saturday. The election was held at St. Alban’s Cathedral in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, the seat of the diocese. The bishop-elect has been rector of St. Alban’s since 2001, and also serves as Dean of Saskatchewan. Rev. Hawkins was elected to succeed Bishop Anthony Burton who took up parish ministry in Dallas last September. The diocese has announced that March 6th has been set as the date for the consecration of their new bishop. … Read more »… À suivre »
In a pastoral letter to the faithful in his diocese, Roman Catholic Bishop Luc Bouchard of St. Paul in Alberta, Canada decried that “the integrity of creation in the Athabasca Oil Sands” – the largest reservoir of crude bitumen in the world and the largest of three major oil sands deposits in Alberta – “is clearly being sacrificed for economic gain.”
Bishops call for Critical Reflection on Uranium Mining and a Proposed Nuclear Power Plant in Saskatchewan
The Bishops of the Anglican, Evangelical Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Catholic churches in Saskatchewan call on their members and all Saskatchewan citizens to consider with care the issues surrounding the proposed expansion of the uranium industry in Saskatchewan and make their views known to the Government of Saskatchewan.
The Government of Saskatchewan is exploring “value-added” initiatives to expand the uranium industry in our province, including the possibility of a nuclear power plant being built in Saskatchewan. Bruce Power, the country’s only private nuclear generating company, has deemed an area of Saskatchewan (roughly from Lloydminster to Prince Albert) to be a potentially suitable site for such a development. In March 2009 a government-appointed panel is expected to make recommendations regarding such initiatives. It is critical that any recommendations be made only after full and open consultation with the people of this province.
Christian churches affirm that God created the earth and that God continues to establish and preserve a just and ordered life for all creation. Human beings are part of the vast ecosystem of the planet. Choices made by human beings must respect God’s creation in its careful interrelationship of earth, water, air and all living things. Exploiting the earth’s resources without regard for the consequences is sinful against God and God’s creation, according to Christian belief. Technology and economic development, including mining and power generation, must be subject to critical reflection in light of the impact that such actions have on people and the environment in the present and into the future.
The Bishops recognize the global need for urgent action on climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-burning power plants in Saskatchewan. They appreciate the intention of the Government in proposing nuclear power to reduce emissions. At the same time, they see the necessity for careful examination of the costs and benefits of a range of energy options and encourage the Government to invite public participation in developing a new energy strategy for Saskatchewan.
The Bishops call on Premier Brad Wall, Crown Corporations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff, Environment Minister Nancy Heppner, Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd, First Nations Minister June Draude, Enterprise Saskatchewan Minister Lyle Stewart, and the Government of Saskatchewan to provide adequate opportunities for Saskatchewan citizens to engage in open, informed discussion based on unbiased and complete information before the Government acts on recommendations from the nuclear industry or the government-appointed panel.
+Rodney Andrews, Anglican Bishop of Saskatoon
+Bryan Bayda, CSsR, Ukrainian Eparchial Bishop of Saskatoon
+Cynthia G. Halmarson, Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
+Daniel Bohan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Regina
+Gregory Kerr-Wilson, Anglican Bishop of Qu’Appelle
+Albert Legatt, Roman Catholic Bishop of Saskatoon
+Albert Thévenot, M. Afr., Roman Catholic Bishop of Prince Albert … Read more »… À suivre »
[Ottawa • CCCB] Pope Benedict XVI today named Most Reverend Albert LeGatt as Archbishop of Saint-Boniface. At the time of his appointment, he was Bishop of Saskatoon.
The Holy Father also accepted the resignation of Most Reverend Émilius Goulet, P.S.S., in accordance with the Code of Canon Law which sets the mandatory age of retirement for bishops at 75. Archbishop Goulet, who turned 76 last May, has served the diocese of Saint-Boniface for a little more than a year past his 75th birthday. He had been appointed Archbishop of Saint-Boniface in [June] 2001. … Read more »… À suivre »
New Anglican bishop elected for Saskatoon: David Irving
David Irving, currently the executive archdeacon of the diocese of Kootenay, has been elected the new bishop of the diocese of Saskatoon. Bishop-elect Irving will replace Bishop Rodney Andrews , who is retiring on Feb. 28.
Read the 2015 joint statement of the Evangelical-Roman Catholic dialogue in Saskatoon, Called to Common Witness
Mercy
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