The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is deeply concerned about the implications of the decision by the Supreme Court of Canada published 15 June 2018. In its two parallel 7-2 rulings, the Court has decided that the law societies of British Columbia and Ontario can refuse to accredit any eventual graduates of the Trinity Western University (TWU) Law School, should TWU proceed with its plan to establish such a school and if TWU maintains its current Community Covenant.

On 13 June 2018, the Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, the Holy See released the Message of the Holy Father for the Second World Day of the Poor which will be observed on 18 November 2018 on the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. In concluding this year's Message, which is on the theme This poor man cried and the Lord heard him, the Holy Father states: "I invite my brother bishops, priests and, in particular, deacons, on whom hands have been laid for the service of the poor (Acts 6:1-7), as well as religious and the lay faithful – men and women – who in parishes, associations and ecclesial movements make tangible the Church's response to the cry of the poor, to live this World Day as a special moment of new evangelization." Pope Francis established the World Day of the Poor following the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in November 2016. In Canada, each diocese and eparchy decides how and when it is most opportune to focus on poverty in view of its local situation.

Link to Pope Francis' Message

The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops has issued the preparatory document for the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region which will take place during October 2019 on the theme "New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology". The preamble of the document states in part: "New paths for evangelization must be designed for and with the People of God who live in this region: inhabitants of communities and rural areas, of cities and large metropolises, people who live on river banks, migrants and displaced persons, and especially for and with indigenous peoples."

Link to the preparatory document
Link to the Vatican News report

The Most Reverend Mark A. Hagemoen, Bishop of Saskatoon, and Deacon Rennie Nahanee, Archdiocese of Vancouver, have been delegated by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) to attend the 2018 Annual Anglophone Safeguarding Conference that will take place at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, 18-21 June 2018, on the theme Culture : an Enabler or Barrier to Safeguarding. Bishop Hagemoen is the Episcopal Co-Chair of the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council; Deacon Nahanee is completing his current term as the Indigenous Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Council. The Anglophone Conference on the Safeguarding of Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults has been an annual initiative by English-language Episcopal Conferences since 2004 and in which CCCB representatives have regularly participated.

Link to the Anglophone Safeguarding Conference

In 2018, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is celebrating its 70th anniversary. To mark this occasion, Pope Francis will visit the WCC in Geneva on 21 June 2018. The theme for the visit is Walking - Praying - Working Together, which is intended to echo the pilgrimage for justice and peace, a theme adopted by the WCC at its last assembly. The Holy Father's visit will take place at the end of the WCC Central Committee meeting and will be at the centre of the ecumenical commemoration of the 70th anniversary. When announcing the visit, on 2 March 2018, the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, His Eminence Kurt Cardinal Koch, remarked, "The visit ... will be a sign of recognition of the unique contribution of the WCC to the modem ecumenical movement."

CCCB Publications has announced that the English and French editions of the ORDO - Liturgical Calendar 2018-2019 are now available for ordering. The yearly ORDO provides complete liturgical information and explanatory notes for each day. The 2018-2019 Liturgical Year begins the First Sunday of Advent (2 December 2018) and ends 30 November 2019, the Saturday following the Solemnity of Christ the King. In addition to Pastoral Notes which assist and give direction for planning a variety of liturgical celebrations and occasions, the ORDO includes the references to the Roman Missal; the Lectionary (for Sundays and Solemnities; Weekdays; Ritual Masses, Masses for Various Needs and Occasions, Votive Masses, Masses for the Dead); the Liturgy of the Hours; and the Book of Gospels. Information is also provided about the National Collections, the Proper Calendar for the Dioceses of Canada, and special dates for pastoral planning in 2019, together with a Table of Moveable Dates.

Link to order copies

As recommended by the Executive Committee of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and approved by the CCCB Permanent Council, two Bishops have been newly appointed to the Governing Board of the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) for its next Triennium, May 2018-May 2021. The CCCB appointees are the Most Reverend Gerard P. Bergie, Bishop of St. Catharines, and the Most Reverend Pierre Goudreault, Bishop of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière. The CCCB General Secretary, Msgr. Frank Leo, remains an ex officio representative on the Governing Board.

The Canadian Religious Conference (CRC) held its 32nd General Assembly 24 to 27 May 2018 in Montreal. Some 250 leaders of Catholic institutes of religious life from across Canada elected a new CRC Administrative Council. Father Louis Cinq-Mars, O.F.M.Cap., is the new President and Sister Francine Landreville, C.N.D., Vice President. The other members elected are: Sister Françoise Drouin of the Daughters of Charity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Quebec Region Representative); Brother Florent Gaudreault of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Quebec Region Representative); and Sister Denise Kuyp, Our Lady of the Missions (Western Region Representative). Three outgoing members were re-elected to their previous positions: Sister Joan Cronin of the Grey Nuns of the Immaculate Conception, Treasurer (Ontario Region Representative); Sister Sandra Shannon of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Vincent de Paul (Ontario Region Representative); and Sister Brendalee Boisvert of the Sisters of Saint Martha of Antigonish (Atlantic Region Representative).

Link to the news release of the CRC

The Holy See in 2004 amended the typical edition of the Latin text for that part of the Roman Ritual entitled De exorcismis et supplicationibus quibusdam. Following the same approach used in the translations of all liturgical texts and ritual books for the Latin Church, the Bishops of each country, with the authorization of the Holy See, developed and approved the official translations for their particular country. In 2006, the French-language edition was published for use in Canada; in 2017, the English-language edition for use in the United States; and in 2018, the English-language edition for use in Canada. These ritual books are exclusively for the use of Bishops and the exorcists whom a Bishop may appoint.

The President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, has sent a congratulatory letter to His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, who is Archbishop Emeritus of Québec, in view of the celebration of his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination, 25 May 2018. In his letter, Bishop Gendron writes "Through the many decades of faithful service to holy Mother Church as a priest of Christ and dedicated pastor of souls, you have contributed in varied and significant ways to the spreading of God's Kingdom wherever you have served. Your commitment to the formation of priests, your love for the pastoral care of the faithful, your diakonia of the truth and loyal service to the Holy See have been shining examples of the life-giving ways you use your gifts in the work of evangelization and witnessing." Bishop Gendron will be present in Rome for the celebration, representing the CCCB.

Link to the letter from the CCCB President (PDF)

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) continues to post possible homily ideas and prayers of the faithful to help link the Sunday liturgy with the national pastoral initiative for life and family. The proposed texts for the month of June 2018 include suggestions from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), 3 June, to the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John Baptist, 24 June, which also celebrates him as special patron of French Canadians. As usual, the suggestions for homilies and prayers can be easily adapted for family prayer, as well as for personal prayer or for use with other groups or organizations. The texts for the month of June are available on the special Life and Family webpage, under the section "Documents and activities proposed by the CCCB".

The entries at the 2018 Cannes International Festival of Film included the world premiere of Congo: A Political Tragedy / Congo, la tragédie politique. Using historical photographs and film footage to chronicle the political history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the feature-length documentary is by Patrick Kadi Kabeya, its producer, co-writer, videographer and editor, and Mina Malu, its co-producer, co-writer and narrator. Both their families are from the DRC. Narrated in French with English subtitles, the film is the first in a series of three and documents the history of the country, from the arrival of the first European settlers to its struggle for independence. First screened at the Festival international du film panafricain de Cannes, the documentary is by KM Media, in partnership with the African Popular University (UPAF) in Geneva, Switzerland.