(CCCB – Ottawa)… The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) today released a pastoral letter on freedom of conscience and religion. Issued by the CCCB Permanent Council, the letter expresses concern about an “aggressive relativism” in Canada that seeks to relegate religion to the private sphere.

“Legitimate secularity draws a distinction between religion and politics, between Church and state,” the pastoral letter states, but is open to the engagement of religious beliefs and faith communities in public debate and civic life. “Radical secularism”, however, excludes religion from the public square “and from freely engaging in the public debate necessary for shaping civic life.”

The Most Reverend François Lapierre, P.M.É., Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops of Canada (CCCB), has sent a letter to the High Commissioner of Nigeria to Canada, copied to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, regarding the continuing attacks against Christians in the northern region of Nigeria.

In his letter, Bishop Lapierre reminds the High Commissioner of his earlier letter he sent on November 14, 2011, and “underlines the concerns expressed by our brother Bishops in Nigeria” for “the urgent need to ensure robust and sufficient protections for the many Christians who call your country home.” 

Link to the Letter

The Most Reverend William Aquin Carew died on May 8, 2012, at St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Born in 1922, and ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of St. John's in 1947, he served from 1947 to 1950 as personal secretary of the future Cardinal lldebrando Antoniutti when he was Apostolic Delegate to Canada. After studying at the Pontificia Academia Ecclesiastica, 1950-1952, he returned to St. John's to serve as secretary to Archbishop P.J. Skinner, 1952-1953, before entering the service of the Secretariat of State in 1953. From 1963 to 1969, he was bureau chief of its English-language section, before being appointed Apostolic Delegate to Rwanda and Burundi. In April 1972, Archbishop Carew was sent as the Pope's extraordinary envoy on a special mission to Bangladesh. In 1974, he was named Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine (including Israel and Jordan, with residence in Jerusalem), as well as Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Cyprus and Apostolic Visitor to Greece. He was subsequently appointed Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Japan in 1983. After retiring in 1997, he returned to his native Newfoundland.

His Eminence Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte, Archbishop Emeritus of Montreal, has received an award from Communications et Société in honor of his exceptional contributions in communications. The award was made May 3, 2012, at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal during presentation ceremonies for the 2012 radio and television awards by Communications et Société. A number of special guests were present, including the new Archbishop of Montreal, the Most Reverend Christian Lépine, and the Bishop Emeritus of Mont-Laurier, the Most Reverend Vital Massé. The award to Cardinal Turcotte was presented by Father Jean-Guy Dubuc, a priest of the Archdiocese of Montreal, assisted by the President of Communications et Société, Ms. Sabrina Di Matteo. In his presentation Father Dubuc noted how the Cardinal has succeeded in sharing the Church’s message about Jesus by always being present and listening to the media as well as by intervening.

Following the recent visit to Canada by an interfaith delegation of about 20 religious leaders from Ukraine, April 23 to 25, 2012, Metropolitan Lawrence Huculak, O.S.B.M., Archeparch of Winnipeg and Metropolitan of Ukrainian Catholics in Canada, released a statement on the events in Toronto and Ottawa honoring Servant of God Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1901 to 1944. In his Message, Metropolitan Huculak recalls that as “the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada prepares to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the arrival of its first Bishop to Canada, Blessed Bishop Nykyta Budka, it is worthy to note that it was Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky who spearheaded the establishment of a Church hierarchy in Canada and the appointment of Bishop Budka as the first Bishop.”

Statement by the Most Reverend Lawrence Huculak (PDF)

(CCCB – Ottawa)… His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI today appointed the Reverend Raymond Poisson as Auxiliary Bishop of Saint-Jérôme, Québec. He will assist the Bishop of Saint-Jérôme, the Most Reverend Pierre Morissette, and succeeds the former Auxiliary Bishop, the Most Reverend Donald Lapointe, whose retirement had been accepted by the Holy Father on July 30, 2011.

Bishop-Elect Raymond Poisson was born on April 30, 1958, in Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Rouville, Quebec. After completing his secondary studies at the Séminaire Très-Sainte-Trinité of Saint-Bruno, he pursued his collegial studies in administration at College André-Grasset and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in theology and then a Master’s degree from the University of Montreal. He holds a doctorate in fundamental theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, specializing in ecclesiology. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 9, 1983, for the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil by its then Bishop, the Most Reverend Bernard Hubert. As a priest, he worked at the diocesan level as private secretary to Bishop Hubert and member of the Council of Priests, as well as with the Office for Priests and the Vocations Office.

On April 27, 2012, in the Cathedral Basilica of Marie-Reine-du Monde – Saint Jacques, Montreal, the Most Reverend Christian Lépine was formally installed as Archbishop of Montreal.  He had already taken canonical possession of the Archdiocese shortly after his appointment on March 20, 2012. The video library of the TV broadcast of the Mass and installation is available on the website of the Archdiocese of Montreal. 

Link to the videos of the Mass and installation of the Most Rev. Christian Lépine

His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, has given an exclusive interview from Rome with Father Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., for the Witness series on the Canadian Catholic television channel Salt + Light TV.  Cardinal Ouellet is Archbishop Emeritus of Quebec City.

Link to the interview

Pope Benedict XVI, on April 21, 2012, appointed His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, as a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education and of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. He had also been a member of the latter when the Holy Father elevated him to the College of Cardinals on February 18, 2012.

Previously, the Holy Father had named Cardinal Collins as a member of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East in 2010. As well, both he and the Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Archbishop of Ottawa, were two of the four North American Bishops whom the Holy Father had named as Apostolic Visitors to four dioceses in Ireland. Cardinal Collins is also the delegate of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for the Canadian implementation of Anglicanorum Coetibus. In addition to these appointments of the Holy See, Cardinal Collins serves on the editorial committee of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) which assists Episcopal Conferences in preparing English-language translations of liturgical texts.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 29, 2012, is the 49^th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The Holy Father’s Message, on the theme “Vocations, the Gift of the Love of God”, is available on the Vatican Website. In his message, Pope Benedict XVI expresses the hope “that the local Churches and all the various groups within them will become places where vocations are carefully discerned and their authenticity tested, places where young men and women are offered wise and strong spiritual direction. In this way, the Christian community itself becomes a manifestation of the Love of God in which every calling is contained.”

Link to the Message

An interfaith delegation of about 20 religious leaders from Ukraine is visiting North America at the end of this month. While in Canada, they will participate in an interfaith symposium on April 25, 2012, at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies (MASI) at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, on the theme “Honouring Andrey Sheptytsky: Ethical Action in Extreme Conditions”.

The delegation includes Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk (whom the Ukrainian Catholic Church considers its Patriarch); Mr. Jacob Dov Bleich (Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine); Patriarch Filaret Denysenko (Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyivan Patriarchate), as well as senior representatives of the Roman Catholic, Evangelical and Adventist Churches in Ukraine, together with the head of the Muslim community in Ukraine. 

During a traditional Anishinaabe ceremony, the Most Reverend V. James Weisgerber, Archbishop of Winnipeg, was symbolically adopted by several First Nations elders. The ceremony, which made him a brother to the First Nations community, took place on 14 April 2012 in Winnipeg, in the presence of many First Nations dignitaries, including the Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Mr. Derek Nepinak, and former Assembly of First Nations National Chief, Mr. Phil Fontaine.