John-Henry Westen The Interim By all accounts, World Youth Day, held this year in Cologne, Germany, was a phenomenal success and one during which young Catholics and the world were exhorted to rise above the fray, respect orthodoxy and defend the sanctity of life. During his homily for the closing Mass of World Youth Day, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the youth to [...]
John Jalsevac Special to The Interim Currently, Rev. Stephen Boissoin, a young Alberta pastor who spearheads a youth ministry that makes hundreds of weekly contacts with at-risk youth, is in the process of learning Arabic so he can better minister to the many Muslim youths he says come to his centres. And with two children of his own, in addition to his [...]
Commentary by Donald DeMarco The Interim Two essential qualities are needed for a person to be a great leader. The first is a detachment from all the enticements that could bind him to the status quo. Greatness implies standing apart from the others, not from their needs, but from their preoccupations with approval, popularity, success, public opinion and being in lock step [...]
“For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for a city that is to come.” Heb. 13:14 Same-sex “marriage” is now legal in Canada. People who hold to conservative values just have lost a major battle after a two-year struggle. Moreover, it was only two years ago that the government passed legislation giving permission to experiment on [...]
I think it is true to say that most Christians have what we call their “patron saints”- that is to say, saints whose lives and principles appeal to them more than others. One of my patron saints is certainly Saint Thomas More, who was martyred in 1535 AD because he refused to support King Henry VIII’s divorce from the Spanish princess, Catherine [...]
Rory Leishman How can Paul Martin sleep at night? Judging from his public statements and frequent attendance at Mass, he sincerely considers himself a devout Catholic, yet has no compunction about publicly flouting the most solemn and authoritative moral teachings of his church. In an interview with a Vancouver radio station in June, Martin was asked specifically about his defiance of the [...]
Tony Gosgnach The Interim Hundreds of protesters were gathered outside barricades and along major roads leading to the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont. June 16. The institution was awarding notorious abortionist Henry Morgentaler an honorary degree inside its Alumni Hall as part of convocation ceremonies. A large contingent of media personnel was present, covering events on both sides of the [...]
Interim Staff The Vatican released a working document for the 11th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled to be held Oct. 2 to 23 this year on the theme, “The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church.” The document, drawn up on the basis of input from Catholic church leaders throughout the world to [...]
John Jalsevac Special to The Interim As Presbyterian minister Tristan Emmanuel handed Chris Kempling a check for $18,000, with a promise for $32,000 more to come before the year is through, he encouraged the beleaguered B.C. school teacher, saying, “Chris, I want you to realize that God has not forsaken you. God does not forsake his people.” With that, he pointed out [...]
Peter Stock The Interim Is gambling an age-old, harmless pastime, or is it a pernicious vice to be publicly condemned by the Christian church? Gambling is never specifically condemned anywhere in the Scriptures. Yet, some of the attitudes of the heart that may accompany gambling certainly are, such as greed or laziness in trying to gain something without honest labour. Christian denominations [...]
Dina Kok The Interim In early July, Bill C-38, the government bill leggally permitting same-sex partners to “marry” in civil ceremonies, was debated in the Canadian Senate. For one senator, the debate became a theological question: what would Jesus do? “As a Christian, I often ask myself: ‘What would Jesus do?’” Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, a New Brunswick Liberal, commented. “In this case, [...]
Commentary by Ian Hunter The Interim My brief is to give the Roman Catholic bishop of Calgary, Fred Henry, some unsolicited legal advice concerning his upcoming dealings with the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Before the advice, here is what has happened to date. In January 2005 Bishop Henry issued a pastoral letter on the oxymoron that has come to be known as [...]
On April 19, 2005, the College of Cardinals could not have made a better choice for the universal Catholic church than electing Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger to succeed John Paul the Great. It was, in fact, the choice of the Holy Ghost, because Cardinal Ratzinger was seen as much too conservative, divisive and old just a few months ago. At the moment of [...]
Sue Careless The Interim During a meeting in Mississauga, Ont., the Primate’s Theological Commission has found same-sex blessings, or SSBs, to be a matter of doctrine. At past Anglican synods, those favouring SSBs argued that the controversial rite involved only pastoral care, not doctrine. If the commission’s St. Michael Report is accepted by General Synod in 2007, the earliest that SSBs could [...]
Commentary by Michael Taube The Interim When Pope John Paul II died on April 2, many Christians and non-Christians mourned the loss of a great man. They respected what John Paul had done to defeat communism, build bridges with different faiths and work towards the betterment of society. He had been a superb leader of the Catholic church and a true friend [...]