Hamilton Bishop says No to Clinton Appearance at Catholic Counselling Centre (Canada)

LifeSiteNews ^ | 8/18/06 | Hilary White

[wagglebee]

KITCHENER, August 18, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A family and psychological counselling agency in Kitchener Ontario, the Catholic Family Counselling Centre, is going ahead with plans to have former president Bill Clinton speak at a fundraising dinner in November. The Catholic Family Counselling Centre curiously bills itself as a "non-denominational" counselling agency even though it was established by the diocese of Hamilton in 1952 and retains the name "Catholic".
 
After LifeSiteNews.com reported on the Centre's plan, some Catholics, including the auxiliary bishop, contacted both the Centre with concerns about Clinton's appearance. As president of the United States, Bill Clinton twice vetoed an attempt to ban "partial birth abortion." Clinton has made millions in speaking fees while travelling the world advocating the eugenic-based population control programs of the UN and the libertine values of the sexual revolution.
 
The Kitchener Catholic Family Counselling Centre's director, Mrs. Cathy Brothers told LifeSiteNews.com that the agency will be going ahead with Clinton's appearance despite the complaints. She confirmed that she had spoken with auxiliary Bishop Gerard Bergie of the Catholic diocese of Hamilton, who had asked her to cancel Clinton's appearance.
 
"We're an all inclusive agency that helps all members of the community," Brothers told LifeSiteNews.com. "It isn't our practice to take sides. We respect the opinions of the people you are referring to but we're going ahead with the event as planned."
 
Bishop Gerard Bergie spoke with LifeSiteNews.com, saying, "We're very, very disappointed with that news. We're not in favour and we're not sponsoring Clinton's appearance. It is not appropriate. We'll still try to encourage them to change their minds."
 
Bishop Bergie told LifeSiteNews.com that the diocese would be continuing to try to work with the Centre for a positive outcome. "They have to understand their Catholic mission. Based on that mission there are certain things that would not be appropriate and this is one of them."
 
The Centre informed Bishop Bergie by letter of their plans to go ahead with the event. Bishop Bergie said that thus far the diocese had not made a decision how to respond. He told LifeSiteNews.com that the option of asking the Centre to drop the title "Catholic" would be a matter for Hamilton Bishop Tonnos to decide. "It is up to the bishop to determine what constitutes a Catholic organization."
 
The diocese has no direct involvement in financing the Centre whose funding comes from the government. Bishop Bergie said there has been a long history with the Centre and the diocese. He said, "There's never been anything of this nature before to challenge their Catholic mission to my knowledge."
 
To contact the Catholic Family Counselling Centre:
400 Queen Street South
Kitchener, ON N2G 1W7
(519)743-6333
info@cfcchelps.ca

[wagglebee]

Bishop Gerard Bergie spoke with LifeSiteNews.com, saying, "We're very, very disappointed with that news. We're not in favour and we're not sponsoring Clinton's appearance. It is not appropriate. We'll still try to encourage them to change their minds."

Why would anybody think it was a good idea to invite a sex addict to speak at a place like this.

[wagglebee]

Catholic Ping.

[wagglebee]

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[doug from upland]

Well, I am confused. The Bishop says no in the headline, but apparently the speech is still on.

[Chode]

because they are Godless masquerading as Christians.

the RC should make them REMOVE ALL Catholic references under threat of a lawsuit since that's all these scum understand.

[princess leah]

The director, Ms. Brothers, is probably a Clintonite fan who simply won't listen to reason - she and Helen Thomas are both cut from the same cloth!

[Mrs. Don-o]

Looks like this center is not actually part of the diocese. The bishop doesn't control funding or policy. All he has the power to do is to try to compel them to drop "Catholic" from their name. And it remains to be seen whether he can do even this: I doubt that "Catholic" is a registered trademark.

I sure wish it were. My first priority would be to sue the pants off of the fraudulent, bogus "Catholics for a Free Choice." (Which, in terms of truth-in-advertising, compares with "Vegans for Veal Scalloppini.")

[California Patriot]

God bless the Catholic church, but overall, it's not a profile in courage when it comes to standing up to Rat politicians.

The Church is certainly pro-life. But not to the point of risking the real enmity of the Clintons and all the other arrogant Rat politicians, Catholic and non-Catholic, who are in a position to hurt them.

These clowns are even worse, however. Clearly just "cafeteria Catholics." It's one thing to revoke an invitation. It's another thing to actually invite someone of Clinton's ilk, which is what they did.

[Fudd Fan]

Exactly.

The guy's hubris knows no bounds.

[bboop]

Do they counsel rape victims there?

[Coleus]

To contact the Catholic Family Counselling Centre:
400 Queen Street South
Kitchener, ON N2G 1W7
(519)743-6333
info@cfcchelps.ca

E-mail and thank the Bishop, they need to hear from us when they do good things too. LifeSite News forgot the contact info.

gbergie@hamiltondiocese.com

[Chode]

yeah... a dirty old rag!!! 8^)

[ArrogantBustard]

I doubt that "Catholic" is a registered trademark.

It's not ... and some of our protestant brethren seem to make a career of reminding us that we could save ourselves an awful lot of grief if we did register it. I'm not sure it could be done ... but at least in theory, they have a legitimate point. There seem to be numerous malefactors doing nasty things (like giving X42 a platform) under the colour of being "catholic".

Their name is Legion, for they are many.

[SuziQ]

But not to the point of risking the real enmity of the Clintons and all the other arrogant Rat politicians, Catholic and non-Catholic, who are in a position to hurt them.

You must not remember Mother Theresa and Cardinal O'Connor BOTH publicly rebuking the pro-abortion position, in the presence of the Clintons.

[California Patriot]

Yes, but Mother Theresa was not in a position of authority (except moral authority). She also wasn't in the U.S.
O'Connor did have a full set, if one may use such crude terminology about a prelate. But still, it's one thing to repeat the pro-life position or even slam the pro-abort position, even in the presence of the Clintons. It's another thing to really DO something against them.

Also, even if the O'Connor example was much stronger, he'd still be just one cardinal, not the Church as a whole, and that's what my point was about.

[California Patriot]

That is, Mother Theresa didn't live in the U.S. and therefore didn't have to "live with" the Clintons and their ilk.

[SuziQ]

She may not have had to 'live with' the Clintons, but believe me, they got her message loud and clear, and so did plenty of Catholics.

The Church can't do anything about the Clintons because they aren't Catholic. It really rankles, though, that the Bishops are not more forceful against nominally Catholic pro-abortion politicians in positions of power. Many Bishops are still of the mindset that the Democrat party is the party of the little guy or the poor. They grew up with that blue collar 'Republicans hate poor people' mentality, and I guess it's hard for them to shake.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"Also, even if the O'Connor example was much stronger, he'd still be just one cardinal, not the Church as a whole, and that's what my point was about."

Well yes (sigh) you're right--- but wasn't it ever thus? When it came to the clinch, He had one who betrayed Him, His right-hand man who denied Him, the other nine AWOL, and only John at the foot of the cross.

[incredulous joe]

"she and Helen Thomas are both cut from the same cloth!"

Uhhh, that gives me a shiver! I didn't know there were two pieces of cloth that were that ugly!

Everytime I hear Helen Thomas in a thread invariably some Freeper goes and loads up a picture of her just for kicks.

I'm starting to have gag reflexes at the mere sight of her name.

[John Lenin]