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.

This is not the Christmas we envisioned for ourselves or our children. There’s no getting away from that, no matter how hard we try.

The “nuclear family.” Such a strange phrase. Does it glow? What exactly is it?

The fact Trista Hope’s name isn’t really Trista Hope adds volumes to the recent 276-page Capriolo report into the catastrophic botching of priestly sex offender Brian Boucher’s case.

Some years ago, our priest opened his Advent sermon with some observations about how early our Western society begins to market Christmas to us.

Archbishop Anthony Mancini could hardly have envisioned a more atypical adieu to his service with the Halifax-Yarmouth archdiocese.

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.”

To say that legislation on the rights of Canada’s Indigenous peoples was overdue is more than an understatement. It is a tragedy.

Once again our Catholic churches are closed in Toronto. Perhaps by the time you are reading this that will have changed. It is unlikely, but possible.

It’s a simple action, almost involuntary, and we seldom give it another thought. We are asked to dip into our deep pockets as we sit in the pews, and to spare some money for the less fortunate at Christmas.