QUEBEC BISHOPS AGAIN SAY THEY DO NOT OBJECT TO HOMOSEXUAL CIVIL UNIONS

Lifesite ^ | 3/26/03 | unknown

[matthew_the_brain]

RIMOUSKI, QUE, March 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Quebec's Catholic Bishops have published an article saying they do not object to homosexual civil unions as such legislation is being considered by Quebec legislators. Writing on behalf of the Quebec Bishops Conference (L'Assemblée des évêques du Québec - AEQ), Bishop Bertrand Blanchet of Rimouski said, "Civil law should not be conformed on every point to the morality of one religion."

Published in the March 18th edition of the French language Quebec paper Le Soleil and on the AEQ website, the article notes that "To not object does not mean to approve or promote."

Even on the question of adoption of children by homosexual couples, the AEQ does not object. "Finally, the issue of whether one of the partners of a civil union should have the possibility to adopt children. The first criterion to consider is the good of the child. When one of the partners is his biological parent, it is possible that adoption might be the best solution," says the article.

See the article on the AEQ website: http://www.eveques.qc.ca/aeqdoc_aeq_2002_3_15_f_0.html

Concerns may be expressed to the AEQ or the Papal Nuncio:

AEQ aeq@eveques.qc.ca or The Most Rev. Luigi Ventura, Apostolic Nuncio 724 Manor Ave. Ottawa, ON K1M 0E3 Phone: (613) 746-4914 FAX: (613) 746-4786 E-Mail: nuncioap@istar.ca

[wideawake]

QUEBEC BISHOPS: WE'RE NOT EVEN PRETENDING TO BE CATHOLIC ANYMORE

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Guess they might as well change the name to Queerbec.

[Alberta's Child]

Writing on behalf of the Quebec Bishops Conference (L'Assemblée des évêques du Québec - AEQ), Bishop Bertrand Blanchet of Rimouski said, "Civil law should not be conformed on every point to the morality of one religion."

Ten bucks says that the first person to take advantage of any "civil union" law in Quebec is going to be Mr. Bertrand Blanchet.

[Salvation]

These bishops need to study up on The Catechism of the United States

Search Result
Catechism of the Catholic Church

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

[Jim Noble]

>>"Civil law should not be conformed on every point to the morality of one religion."<<

And the religions that permit gays to marry are?

Buddhism-no

Hinduism-no

Roman Catholicism-no

Evangelical Protestantism-no

Eastern Orthodoxy-no

Orthodox Judaism-no

Islam-only after a wall is toppled on the happy couple

What "one religion" are they referring to?

[RonF]

You can add the Episcopal Church of the United States of America to the list. Despite their identification as a liberal church, they don't bless gay unions.

[eastsider]

"To not object does not mean to approve or promote."

Horse doo-doo. Failure to object would by itself be acquiescence, yet if one is to believe the article ("Civil law should not be conformed on every point to the morality of one religion"), these bishops are explicitly approving a civil order at odds with the natural order.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

You beat me to it. Quebec Bishops again publicly announce their apostasy from the faith.

[Campion]

Bishop Bertrand Blanchet of Rimouski said, "Civil law should not be conformed on every point to the morality of one religion."

Wow. I count three grave errors (can you say "heresy," boys and girls ... I knew you could) in one sentence by this apostate bishop:

1. As Jim Noble correctly points out, no major religion approves of gay "marriage," so pretending that this is only the doctrine of one religion is a blatant error of fact
2. Catholics are not permitted to consider Catholicism to be just one religion among many, as if Catholicism should not have a privileged position as the truth. The solemn Papal statements binding this view are too numerous to mention
3. Civil law most certainly should mirror moral truth on every point. Of course, it probably won't, but that's not a desirable condition; it's at best only a tolerable one. That's what is traditionally meant by the phrase "the social doctrine of Christ the King".

With bishops like this, it's no wonder Catholicism in Quebec is evaporating faster than dry ice in Saudi Arabia.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

These bishops need to be defrocked.

[canuck_conservative]

Ontario and Quebec are adjoining provinces in Canada, separated by the Ottawa River. Ontario is mainly English-speaking, Quebec is mainly French-speaking.

The divorce rate in Ontario is 215 per 1000; in Quebec the divorce rate is 450 per 1000.

You figure it out.

[OpusatFR]

Any guesses as to what circle in Hades these Bishops will land?

Not taking a stand is the same thing as approving an action. I am tired of cowards for clerics.

[Vinnie_Vidi_Vici]

Are they claiming this as their own personal preference?

[caisson71]

Plain and simple, homosexuality is defined by a sex act. That sex act is unnatural and forbidden. Where's the Pope in this? He's quick to condemn the war in Iraq and support protestors. What say he?

[gcruse]

The divorce rate in Ontario is 215 per 1000; in Quebec the divorce rate is 450 per 1000.

You figure it out.

Half of American marriages end in divorce.  That would be 500 per 1000.

Are we all Quebeckers?

[matthew_the_brain]

Remember Saint John Chrysostom, the golden-throated Doctor of the Church of the early fifth century said "The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops."


I imagine the floor is a bit cluttered right about now.

[SuziQ]

The Canadian Bishops have been off the wall for years.

[canuck_conservative]

Not to nitpick, but I think your stat applies only to "new" marriages. There's still a large base of older, established, continuing marriages which, when factored in, lower the overall average. So I think the "total average" of 215/1000 in Ontario is probably comparable to the rest of English Canada, as well as the US.

So the fact remains, Quebec's rate is double that of the rest of the continent - and that says something damning about the moral condition of that province.

[sorry about the late reply, I was out all day]