Richard Leskun says he was pressured repeatedly to put a do-not-resuscitate order on his wife Marilynn at Abbotsford Regional Hospital. Then staff offered to euthanize her. (Contributed photos)
By Terry O’Neill Richard Leskun remained at his wife Marilynn’s side nearly 24 hours a day after she was admitted to Abbotsford Regional Hospital, the result of a fall from her wheelchair. Over the next several days Leskun found himself not only caring for his 71-year-old wife, but also fending off efforts by medical staff...
A monk walks down a hallway toward Father Dunstan Massey’s The Temptation of St. Benedict. The work was the first of Father Massey’s frescos completed in 1974. (Nicholas Elbers photos)
By Nicholas Elbers It’s hard to imagine Westminster Abbey without Father Dunstan Massey’s artistic fingerprints brushed and carved over and into seemingly every surface. Throughout the corridors, halls, and church of the Mission abbey, paintings and carvings bear the distinctive style of the Benedictine monk and prolific artist who passed away Dec. 26 at the...
By Nicholas Elbers “Canadian Doctor Loses License For Not Wearing Mask While Euthanizing Patient,” reads the headline. Another one reports, “Canadian Dentist Now Offering Euthanasia As Alternative To Cavity Filling.” And, “New Canadian Operation Game Just Has You Murder The Patient.” Straight news or fake news? It might be hard to know, given the rapid...
I can ask ChatGPT, “Write me a short story on a trip to the desert.” Or “write me some computer code to solve the quadratic equation.” I can ask ChatGPT to write me a poem about passwords and security, or a lesson plan on the water cycle, suitable for a Grade 5 level. I’ve even heard of a local priest who experimented with it in writing a homily. In the process, ChatGPT is raising questions about where this sort of application will lead us.
Fraser Health Authority documents received by The B.C. Catholic under a freedom-of-information request show the implementation of euthanasia caused “ethical dilemmas” for some care providers. A doctor who headed the authority’s palliative-care team resigned in protest. (Adobe)
By Terry O’Neill B.C.’s largest regional health authority has finally taken the wraps off unpublished documents showing the introduction of assisted suicide in Fraser Health Authority hospitals and residences sparked emotional concern and opposition among health-care staff. The documents, requested by The B.C. Catholic under a freedom-of-information request, show the implementation of euthanasia became “an...
Detective Constable Marty Cayer, centre, has added a second vocation to his Vancouver Police responsibilities. The Catholic deacon now serves as a VPD chaplain. Shown with him are Vancouver Police Sgt.-Maj. Ray Gardner and Sgt. Dave Moe. (Terry O’Neill photos)
By Terry O’Neill Marty Cayer’s business card describes him as Detective/Constable #2023 with the Youth Investigative Unit of the Vancouver Police Department. Since October 2021, however, the 22-year veteran officer has embraced a second vocation that he considers even more important: that of a permanent deacon, currently serving at Christ the Redeemer Parish in West...
Archbishop J. Michael Miller receives his pallium as Archbishop of Vancouver from Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. In his homilies following the death of the Pope Emeritus the Archbishop spoke about the gifts of the Pontiff he worked for in Rome for three years. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano) (June 29, 2009)
In the days following the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Archbishop J. Michael Miller spoke about the life and legacy of Pope Benedict XVI and offered prayers for the Pontiff he worked with in Rome for three years. During his homily for the First Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God on...
Archbishop Miller receiving his archbishop’s pallium from Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Archbishop Miller said Benedict’s death was a cause of sadness but also of gratitude for his ministry. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano)
By B.C. Catholic and Canadian Catholic News Tributes for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI have poured in from leaders of the Canadian Catholic community following the former Pontiff’s passing on Dec. 31 at his residence at the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery. Vancouver Archbishop Michael Miller commended Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as an intellectual giant and great...
Pope Francis celebrates Mass to start the synodal process in 2021. Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller will represent Canada’s English bishops at the 2023 Synod on Synodality in Rome next year. (CNS photo/Remo Casilli, Reuters)
By Terry O’Neill Archbishop J. Michael Miller has been elected by his fellow Canadian bishops as one of six bishops who will represent the Canadian Catholic Church at the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023. The Bishops’ Synod on Synodality will mark the beginning of the final phase of the global synodal process...
