In one of those glorious paradoxes ubiquitous in Christian faith, instantaneous argy-bargy over the Vatican’s pre-Christmas document on blessing “irregular” relationships served to recall the supremacy of Christ among us.

The Vatican’s surprise — some might say bombshell — declaration that “irregular” domestic partnerships can be blessed by Catholic clergy will be welcomed like a Christmas gift by advocates and beneficiaries.

Through the spring and fall of 2023, The Catholic Register and our partners at The B.C. Catholic, Catholic Conscience and the Religion & Journalism Project taught on-line classes in Catholic journalism.

In Health Canada’s latest voluminous annual report on Canadian MAiD’s “evolution” to world-leading status, the minister in charge highlights Ottawa’s commitment to “culturally safe” medicalized killing of Indigenous peoples.

The Canadian Human Rights Commission must at least log marks for audacity by attacking Christmas and Easter as “obvious examples” of religious intolerance following the Oct. 7 Hamas hate slaughter in Israel. Even in the wake of the most barbaric outbreak of religious “intolerance” afflicted on Jews since the Holocaust, after all, the CHRC created a media flutter with its recent “Discussion Paper on Religious Intolerance.” To do so, it singled out the two main Christian holidays as prime causes of “present day systemic religious discrimination.”

In what would be his farewell address to his Catholic audience at Toronto’s annual Cardinal’s dinner last year, Archbishop Thomas Collins challenged those present with the haunting question: “What have we become?”

Justin Trudeau spoke with clarity and prime ministerial authority to shocking recent violence in Montreal and to the swelling tide of anti-Semitism across Canada whipped up by the Hamas barbarism of Oct. 7.

The Toronto Star, which often seems to have sold its soul to the progressive deity Unthink, conveyed genuine wisdom in its coverage of demonstrations that snarled the city centre on Nov. 4

The federal government’s ideological assault on the integrity and traditions of the Canadian Armed Forces chaplaincy is a matter for democratic resolution either by approval (boo! boo!) or, preferably, overturning. 

Who knew that one day Canada’s Catholic bishops would share a common language problem with the big machers of Hollywood. Yet it appears neither group can collectively find its tongue to condemn Hamas unilaterally for its Oct. 7 butchery in Israel.