Readers Speak Out: January 10, 2021
Follow science
While most churches, synagogues and temples have followed the COVID-19 guidelines of Dr. Bonnie Henry there have been several faith communities in B.C. (and the U.S, including Trump with his rallies) who have repudiated these directives, maintaining their God-given and constitutional right to meet face to face.
Readers Speak Out: December 27, 2020
No evidence
Re: Mass is essential to our Catholic life (Dec. 9):
Charles Lewis rightly says that the “Mass is essential” to Catholics but that the Ontario government doesn’t understand this. The government recently demonstrated this when it tried to stop COVID spread by forcing Toronto churches to close. No evidence was offered to justify the action. Ironically, just a few weeks prior Premier Doug Ford said that churches had done a “great job” of preventing infection.
Marymount students share Christmas wishes with troops
The students from Sudbury, Ont.’s Marymount Academy have let Canadian military serving overseas that they aren’t forgotten this Christmas season.
Christmas Drawing Contest 2020 winners
There is one sure sign that Christmas is around at The Catholic Register — the sudden surge of mail into the office on deadline day for the our annual children’s Christmas drawing contest.
Christmas communion service approved for lockdown regions in Toronto
Cardinal Thomas Collins has approved a short service to give parishes in lockdown regions within the Archdiocese of Toronto the option of offering Holy Communion on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day while maintaining the 10-person limit in churches.
Readers Speak Out: December 20, 2020
Legal opening
Re: Liberals to implement UN’s Indigenous rights declaration (Dec. 3):
The Trudeau government’s vow to implement Bill C-15, legislation based on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), is certainly a welcome move in that it will inject the full colour and spirit of that document into the Canadian legal system. At its core, the declaration expresses the uniqueness of Indigenous cultures, their ties to the land itself, their spirituality and the necessity of preserving their right to self-determination; this is necessary for their survival and undoing the harm of colonization and racism.
Our ‘child-like steps’ are guided by hope
The following is the Christmas message from Archbishop Richard Gagnon, president of Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and Archbishop of Winnipeg:
Public Masses suspended in York Region, Windsor-Essex
Catholic churches in York Region and Windsor-Essex County are joining Toronto and Peel Region in lockdown Dec. 14 following new restrictions to battle the pandemic by the Province of Ontario.
Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi ends mission as Canada’s apostolic nuncio
After seven years as the Pope’s diplomatic representative in Canada, Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi is off to Albania.
Readers Speak Out: December 13, 2020
Ordinary acts
We commend Glen Argan for his courageous column (Nov. 22) on the sexual abuse by clergy. He says “ordinary people” have done great things for the world by “telling the truth … or witnessing to an injustice.”