1. All three were shaped and grounded in a Christian faith tradition that informed how they lived and engaged human events. 2. Each was prepared to call evil by its right name, to refuse it legitimacy and to resist it. 3. Their understandings of human nature were grounded in the Imago Dei (or something very much like it) and its attendant dignity, [...]
The President, the Pope and the Prime Minister: Three Who Changed the World By John O'Sullivan (Regnery, 334 pages $34.95) Be not afraid! - John Paul II, 1978 You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning. - Margaret Thatcher, 1980 I urge you to beware the temptation of pride - the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all [...]
The Canadian Medical A ssociation released a new ethics statement concerning euthanasia and assisted suicide on May 29 that re-affirmed the CMA's opposition to these practices and asks its membership to uphold the principles of palliative care. The policy summary includes definitions of euthanasia and assisted suicide, background information, basic medical ethical principles and physician concerns about legalization of euthanasia and assisted [...]
August 2007 The Bishop of Rwanda By John Rucyahana with James Riordan (Thomas Nelson Inc.,231 pages, $24.99 ) Although the subtitle to the book indicates that the main theme is "finding forgiveness amidst a pile of bones," The Bishop of Rwanda devotes most of its pages to details about the lead-up to, and events of, the 1994 genocide that exterminated more than [...]
Dennis Savoie, along with Mary Ann Kuharski, Lorraine Hartsook and Rev. John Ensor, will be a keynote speaker at this year's National Pro-Life Conference in Moncton, N.B., "the Hub of the Maritimes," Oct. 25-27. He currently serves as deputy supreme knight (second in command) of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's fraternal benefit society formed in 1882 to render financial aid [...]
Representing various faith backgrounds, proponents of traditional family values from across Ontario are praying for the Family Coalition Party. The movement began as a suggestion by an Alberta right-to-life activist who operates under the screen-name "Theresa" on FreeDominion.ca's Northern Ontario caucus. Participants pledge a specific time in their schedules to ask God's blessing and protection over the province's only pro-life party. "Campaigns [...]
When the Great Canadian Wish List began, the CBC aired a promo segment telling everyone it was starting this project as an experiment. The hope was that Canadians would log on to Facebook, make their wishes known and do it "as loud as possible." Mike Wise from the CBC teamed up with Taylor Gunn from Student Vote for this initiative, but they [...]
Stop the Presses! The Inside Story of the New Media Revolution By Joseph Farah (WND Books 273 pages, $37.95) There was a time, in the bad old days, when the people of North America were subjected to very limited sources of news. Influential publications like the N.Y. Times, and massive electronic networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, had a veritable [...]
Whose fault is it that there is so little Christian ownership of media in North America? Whose fault is it that there is so little Christian involvement in newsrooms in North America? Whose fault is it that there is so little Christian influence in all the major cultural institutions in North America? It's the Christians' own fault. That was the message brought [...]
August 2007 Gay "pride" observances took place in major centres across Canada this year, as they do every summer, but as with last year, there were some challenges in terms of funding and sponsorships. The situations pointed out again how dependent the "pride" phenomenon is not only on business and media support, but on government backing as well. Last year, Ottawa's annual [...]
The latest trend in medical t ourism is surrogate motherhood by Indian women, and reports say that ethical problems include the reinforcement of the local caste system. Not only are women in the developing world attempting pregnancy for the benefit of client parents in the West, the $200 million-per-year industry has brought dramatic changes to a handful of unskilled poor women, without [...]
Week 5: Unfriendly Regina June 17-23: Saskatoon-Regina, Sask.-Verdun, Man. Total Distance: 354 km We began this week by piling into the Fraser family's motor home and driving from a very wet Saskatoon to the drier climes of Moose Jaw. Situated 70 kilometres west of Regina, on the straight-as-an-arrow Trans Canada Highway, we continued our cross-country walk parallel from the spot we left [...]
St. Alphonsus Liguori makes the comment, in his b ook, The Incarnation, Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ, that Jesus was born "in poor ragged clothes, in a stable lying on straw in a manger for animals," because "he came to destroy the pride which had been the cause of man's ruin." Pride is the most pernicious of the seven deadly sins. It directs [...]
August 2007 From the Editors desk The New York Times has editorialized that Dr. James Holsinger, President George W. Bush's surgeon-general designate, might not be qualified for the position because, when he served in a volunteer (United Methodist) church capacity, he ruled in favour of a clergyman who did not allow gays to join his congregation. The Times said: "The Senate should [...]
Public demands are growing for more judicial accountability They say time heals all wounds, but it's not the case for the parent of a murdered child. Nevertheless, until this past April, Doug De Patie had somehow grown accustomed to the heartache, the anger and the sense of horror that entered his life in March 2005, when his son was killed. Coming to [...]