Canadian Prime Minister Taunts Church: "I Am A Catholic And For Abortion"

Life Site ^ | 5/28/03

[marshmallow]

Cardinal Ambrozic "Sorry, Disappointed And Upset" With PM's Abortion Stand

ATHENS, May 28, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In widely reported comments, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, said "I am a Catholic and for abortion." The Prime Minister's remarks were made en route to Athens yesterday during a frank discussion with reporters in which he boasted that he was superior to U.S. President Bush on fiscal and social matters.

Through a spokesman, Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic commented to LifeSite on the Prime Ministers statement. Moreover, Chretien's bishop, Ottawa Archbishop Marcel Gervais communicated to LifeSite he will also be addressing the matter.

Suzanne Scorsone, the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Toronto told LifeSite, "The Cardinal is sorry, disappointed, and upset at what he has seen some newspapers today quoting the prime minister as having said on the subject of abortion." Gabrielle Tasse, Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Ottawa told LifeSite "The Archbishop will be dealing with the matter in a private manner and will be in touch with the Prime Ministers Office today."

After slamming Bush on financial matters saying, "We still have surpluses. The Americans will have a $500-billion deficit this year and it is a right-wing government. If we were to equal that we would have to have a $75-billion deficit. Imagine!," Chretien took aim at Bush's social policy emphasizing where he differs with the U.S. President. "I am a Catholic and for abortion and he is not," Chretien said.

As LifeSite reported last week, Chretien has become increasingly more brazen in his pro-abortion comments. On May 14 in a speech in Montreal, he was reported as saying that Canada is better than the U.S. since we have abortion rights. During his speech Chretien said, "We don't have big debates on the rights of abortion because we decided a long time ago in Canada it is the choice of women, which is not the case in a lot of U.S. states."

Chretien has even gone so far as to spout his pro-abortion rhetoric at a Catholic school and for which he received condemnation from Ottawa Bishop Marcel Gervais.

Since the reign of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Canadian Catholic politicians have been notorious for imposing radical social changes on the country and even abroad which violate serious Church moral teaching. So far, they have not been subject to any removal of Catholic sacramental privileges and have often been able to find some liberal theologian or other church authority to condone their actions. There are increasing signs that this decades long trend may soon change.

To express concerns to the PM:

Rt. Hon. Jean Chretien Prime Minister Government of Canada Parliament Hill Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Canada Fax: (613) 941-6900 E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca

[JNB]

Read Cardinal Dulles many essays explaing the church position on the death penalty, and you can see it is not a life issue. I will be the first to agree that the death penalty in the US is not applied evenly or justly, but, if justice is properly applied, there is a major difference between putting to death a condemned criminal and killing a innocent life.

As for the seamless garment, lets just say as the Jadot era Bishops continue to retire, and Cardinal Bernadins influence further fades away, the seamless garment argument that put abortion on the same level as the detah penalty and social justice is finding itself in the dustbin of history. The Seamless garment did a massive amount of damage to the anti abortion movment in the 80s and 90.

Also, to achieve Catholic social justice, implement it, does not mean one has to support great society programs as the liberal Catholics have done. Anyways Madprof, look at church history and realise there are limits to papal maximalism, and again even here, the E-V encyclical does not take a full on abolitionist view on the death penalty.

[The Iguana]

Hey Jean - we'd have a surplus as well if we also disassembled our military and freeloaded off another superpower for our security.

[tiamat]

Yes, I remember that letter to Daschle and haven't heard much about it since.

Tia

[Onelifetogive]

I know of a lot of Black and Hispanic Pentacostals/Evangelicals, Baptists, who are democrats, pro-abortion, and against school vouchers.

I suppose I am blessed...I don't know them!

[Coleus]

You're living in a dream world.