Nohl Macdonald is still in high school, but that hasn’t prevented him and many others in the Edmonton Archdiocese from speaking out against the expansion of assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada. Macdonald was amongst the crowd of more than 500 people (in person and online) who attended a Feb. 8 public lecture to equip Catholics and...
Category: Canada
Canadian bishops add voice to Christian appeal for Ukraine peace
Canada’s Catholic bishops have joined Christian counterparts in marking the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with an invitation for all to join in praying for peace. In a pastoral letter released Feb. 21, three days before the Feb. 24 anniversary of Russia’s full-scale attack on its neighbour, national representatives of the Catholic, Orthodox,...
‘Miracle of providence’ staves off potential bankruptcy for Archdiocese of Moncton
Benefitting from over seven months of hindsight, Archbishop Guy Desrochers considers it auspicious that the first liturgical reading he heard in late June upon accepting his appointment to the Archdiocese of Moncton was God calling Abram — later Abraham — to set forth to a new land bravely. Saying goodbye is, of course, challenging. The...
Can Canadian-filmed Ordinary Angels kickstart a moribund film industry?
To create the climactic snowstorm sequence so central to the upcoming faith-based film Ordinary Angels, Director Jon Gunn and his team turned to Winnipeg. He told Canadian Catholic News that accurately depicting Louisville covered in snow like it was on Jan. 17, 1994, during the North American cold wave was logistically challenging. “There was a...
Mother Paradis: third Canadian-born saint known for her ‘open arms and transparent heart’
Rome’s announcement of a third Canadian-born saint answers the prayers of Blessed Mother Marie-Léonie Paradis’ community and friends. The Quebec-born founder of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family will join St. Marie-Marguerite d’Youville and St. Brother André Bessette as the only Canadian-born canonized saints, the Vatican said in late January. The Friends of Mother...
Archdiocese of Montreal suing Quebec government over MAiD forced upon hospice
In what could prove to be a landmark case for religious and conscience rights in Canada, Montreal’s Archbishop Christian Lépine has taken on the Attorney General of Quebec. In an appeal for judicial review submitted to the Quebec Superior Court on Feb. 5, Archbishop Lépine asked for an immediate stay of the application of an...
Lawyer hopes Emergencies Act victory inspires Canadians to defend their rights
The president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms hopes Canadians will better protect their civil liberties if there is another global health emergency in the wake of the Federal Court of Canada’s ruling against the Trudeau government’s use of the Emergencies Act in 2022. John Carpay said that when a small number of people...
MAiD for mental illness must be stopped, not paused, Catholic and legal experts say
Catholic and anti-euthanasia observers across Canada are welcoming the federal government’s decision to pause the introduction of assisted dying for individuals suffering from mental illness, but expressing dismay that it still intends to expand access in the future. Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller said he was disappointed by an announcement by federal Health Minister Mark...
A one-woman abortion crusade influenced Ottawa’s Summer Jobs program; will MAiD be next?
It was Joyce Arthur and her Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) who convinced the Trudeau government to kick pro-life organizations out of the Canada Summer Jobs program seven years ago. Now, the British Columbia atheist-humanist is pressing to open MAiD eligibility further — and do away with “paternalistic, unethical” faith-based health care. Arthur’s Abortion...
Quebec’s 350th: Jubilee year will mark historic past but also its shortcomings
As the Archdiocese of Quebec embarks on a jubilee year to mark its 350th anniversary, it hopes to strike the right balance between celebrating the significant historical role played by the archdiocese while acknowledging the sober realities facing the modern Church. On Dec. 8, 2023, the Archdiocese inaugurated the jubilee year by opening the Holy...