This document is only available in French.

(Ottawa – CCCB) Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte of Montreal met with Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian National Authority, and Ezer Weizman, President of the State of Israel, while attending the Symposium on the Future of Jerusalem.

Separate meetings took place between the leaders and the presidents of episcopal conferences from around the world who were attending the symposium, held in the Holy City, October 26-27. The symposium was organized by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Most Rev. Michel Sabbah, with the support of the Vatican Secretariat of State.

The participants attending the conference were given a good description of the varied points of view on the future of Jerusalem. They heard of the situation first hand from representatives of the Palestinian, Israeli, Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities.

Jerusalem: Symbol of Encounter and Reconciliation

In a statement at the end of the conference, the episcopal delegates reaffirmed their desire to have Jerusalem granted special status due to its “unique value” for Christians, Jews and Muslims.

“It is incumbent on the believers of the three religions, out of the love and hope they bear for her, and on the community of nations, because of the unique and universal character of the Holy City, to share their thoughts and expectations for the future of Jerusalem,” the statement declared. “Decisions will be made by political leaders but the concerns and hopes of believers must also be included in the pertinent negotiations.”

The participants also strongly indicated their desire that Jerusalem be a place of encounter and reconciliation among religions and people.

“Active communities of Jews, Christians and Muslims should enjoy true freedom of conscience and religion, including full access to the Holy Places, and their right to carry out their own religious, educational, and social activities.

“Such a statute should also guarantee the sacred character and the universal cultural heritage of the city. Free access to Jerusalem should be guaranteed to all, local people and pilgrims, friends and opponents. Finally this special statute should be supported by international guarantees.”

Visit to Rome

Following his return from the week-long visit to Israel, Cardinal Turcotte will leave Montreal for the Vatican this Sunday. The CCCB President will be accompanied by the Vice-President, Bishop Gerald Wiesner of Prince George, and the two General Secretaries, Msgr. Peter Schonenbach and Father Emilius Goulet, p.s.s. They will be making the annual visit to meet with representatives from a number of Vatican dicasteries.

The dicasteries include various Roman Curia offices, congregations, secretariats, councils, commissions and tribunals.

Your Eminence/Your Excellency:

As you have seen and heard in the media, Hurricane Mitch has devastated Central America, with the outcome appearing worse from day to day. Thousands of victims are estimated to have died and hundreds of thousands left homeless.

Given the extent of the destruction, and the desperate requests for assistance, Catholics in Canada will want to do everything possible to come to the aid of their brothers and sisters in Central America.

The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace is launching a national campaign and establishing an emergency fund to help the countries most affected by Hurricane Mitch. This will be announced at a news conference in Montreal tomorrow, November 4. Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, Archbishop of Montreal and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, will be the honorary president of this emergency appeal.

You are kindly asked to invite the faithful of your diocese to forward their donations to Development and Peace:

May our gesture of solidarity comfort those whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Mitch, and be a source of hope to all the peoples of Central America.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Msgr. Peter Schonenbach, P.H.
General Secretary

(Ottawa – CCCB) His Holiness Pope John Paul II today named Most Rev. Joseph Faber Macdonald, currently Bishop of Grand Falls, Nfld, as the new Bishop of Saint John, N.B. He succeeds Most Rev. J. Edward Troy, whose resignation was accepted by the Pope last year.

Bishop MacDonald has been Bishop of the Diocese of Grand Falls since 1980. He was born in Little Pond, Prince Edward Island, in 1932, and ordained to the priesthood in 1963. He studied theology at Saint Paul University in Ottawa and the Institut de liturgie pastorale et missionnaire, in Bruges, Belgium.

He is currently a member of the Episcopal Commission for the Evangelization of Peoples, and has served on the commissions for Social Affairs, and Christian Education, as well as the Permanent Council and the Programs and Priorities Committee.

The Diocese of Saint John has a Catholic population of 112,710 in 100 parishes and missions served by 67 diocesan priests, 11 priests from religious communities, 2 permanent deacons and 178 religious sisters.

Mr. Duncan Sinclair
Chair, Ontario Health Services Restructuring Commission
56 Wellesley Street West, 12th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 2S3

Dear Sir:

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), at its recent annual Plenary Meeting, held in Niagara Falls, October 15-20, unanimously adopted the following resolution:

“While ‘it is not the role of the pastors of the Church to intervene directly in the political structuring and organization of social life. This task is part of the vocation of the lay faithful, acting on their own initiative with their fellow citizens‘ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2442); “Nevertheless, pastors have the duty of reminding public authorities, out of concern for the common good, that they are to protect and defend the rights of national minorities (Second Vatican Council Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, n. 59, §5; 73, §3). Furthermore, such preoccupation is of particular concern when these fundamental rights are at stake in areas such as health and education. “Accordingly, in recognition that what is at stake are the cultural and linguistic rights of French-speaking minorities throughout Canada, the members of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops call on the Ontario Health Services Restructuring Commission to reconsider its decision on the future of the Montfort Hospital in Ottawa.”

Founded in 1943, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops is the national association of the Catholic Bishops of Canada. Through the CCCB the approximately 130 bishops of this country, including both the Latin and Eastern rites, express collegial responsibility and undertake common action.

Thank you for your attention to this resolution on the future of the Ottawa Montfort Hospital. Although the decision of your Commission certainly involves administrative questions, the Bishops of Canada are also convinced it has serious implications for minority rights throughout Canada.

Sincerely,

Msgr. Peter Schonenbach, P.H.
General Secretary

Émilius Goulet, P.S.S.
Secrétaire général

CC: S.O.S. Montfort
Attn. Mme Gisèle Lalonde

Mr. Michael D. Harris
Premier of Ontario

Ms. Elizabeth Witmer
Minister of Health

Ottawa (CCCB) — A delegation of Church representatives from Canada have just returned from an East Timor fact finding tour where they witnessed first hand the current unrest in the country.

The Canadian group comprised Msgr. Peter Schonenbach,  General Secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops;  Rt. Rev. Bill Phipps, Moderator of the United Church of Canada; Ms. Louise Chernetz, of the Anglican Church of Canada; and Ms. Bern Jagunos, co-director of the Canada-Asia Working Group, an inter-church coalition on Asian concerns.

The members of the delegation were on the streets of Dili, the capital of East Timor, on October 12 where the streets were flooded with massive crowds of protesters in one of the largest public demonstrations to take place there in recent times.

The protest was in reaction to Governor Habilio’s directive that all public employees must support the “autonomy” plan or face dismissal. The “autonomy” plan equates the continuous integration of East Timor within Indonesia. The delegation noted, however, that there appears to be great popular support for a referendum leading to independent self-rule. The protestors were also in the streets because of the lack of commitment on the part of President Habibie to implement the changes promised in the May “reformation”.

The delegation was happy to report on a new reality in East Timor, enabling room for discussion and freedom of assembly. However, the military presence continues to be very evident and a transparent withdrawal plan is not in place.

The Canadian delegation is to meet with Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and the Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific, Mr. Raymond Chan in the very near future.  Their report will include the following recommendations:

• an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Indonesian troops under United Nations supervision
• a transition period preparatory to a referendum with the governing body, under supervision of the UN and composed of Portuguese, Indonesian and
  Timorese representatives
• release of all political prisoners
• monitoring of human rights abuses by international human rights agencie

While in East Timor, the delegation met with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Bishop Belo, Arlindo Marcal, Moderator of the Protestant Churches in East Timor, the Commander of the Indonesian military in East Timor, the chief of police and local government authorities, as well as Church, student and NGO groups.

For more information, please contact:

Msgr. Peter Schonenbach (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops)
905-356-5653

Mary Frances Denis (United Church of Canada) 416-231-5931

Louise Chenetz (Anglican Church of Canada) 204-661-5778

Bern Jagunos (Canada-Asia Working Group) 416-465-8826

In his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente His Holiness Pope John Paul II sets the agenda for the Church’s preparation for the Jubilee Year 2000 with a remarkable stress on the social dimension of this event. The Holy Father states that, “Indeed, it has to be said that a commitment to justice and peace…is a necessary condition for the preparation and celebration of the Jubilee.”(1)

Since the Jubilee year “was meant to restore equality among all,”(2) the members of the Social Affairs Commission would like to encourage people of good will to reflect on how we could work together to create a Jubilee where greater social justice prevails. Two years ago today, our Commission released a pastoral letter entitled The Struggle Against Poverty: A Sign of Hope for Our World. In that message, the Bishops reflected on the situation of four groups where poverty has been concentrated in Canada: women, aboriginal people, uprooted persons and families. From our religious conviction, we called for concerted actions to join in the worldwide effort to eradicate poverty by following the path of solidarity. How then have we fared in this task?

In the latest figures available from the National Council for Welfare, the same source we relied on for our pastoral letter, the results are extremely alarming.’ The poverty rate rose to 17.6 per cent in Canada, the child poverty rate jumped to 20.9 per cent and even the poverty rate for seniors (which has been falling) increased to almost 19 per cent.(3)

The most troubling aspect of these statistics is the fact that with the economic recession having been judged to be over, it would have been reasonable to expect poverty rates to fall, and yet they did not. It seems that a rising economic tide did not lift all boats. In fact, while the richest 20 per cent of Canadians saw their incomes rise, the poorest 20 per cent saw theirs fall. With child poverty rates at a 17 year high, is it not now time for a renewed commitment to truly make the eradication of poverty a national priority? As we stated in 1993, “Unemployment is obviously responsible for much of the poverty, hunger, homelessness, family breakdown and suicide that plague society today.”(4) The situation of the unemployed in our communities is a source of grave concern for us. It is a matter of justice that they receive their fair share of employment insurance.

On a world scale, there continues to be cause for concern. If we accept the World Bank suggestion that anyone living on less than $1US per day is among the “absolute poor,” then about 1.3 billion people, or a third of the developing world, live in absolute poverty. With the unsettling of international markets, attributed to the “Asian economic flu,” millions more have been thrust into unemployment and even worse poverty. Unfortunately, international financial institutions are not preventing the market’s failures from causing extreme damage to the lives of ordinary people.

In the globalized economy it is clear that the adverse affects are a contagion that has been allowed to spread faster and farther than ever before. While Canadians and their governments worry about their own future, we also need to realize that our interdependent world cries out for a solidarity that is increasingly in our mutual interest to provide. Yet Canada’s foreign aid is at its lowest level in 30 years while Ottawa spends almost five times more on “defence” and cuts important projects of NGOs such as the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

Signs of Hope

There are some signs of hope in the struggle to reduce poverty both at home and abroad. Many local churches have begun programs to feed, clothe and house the impoverished. More impressive yet are the initiatives undertaken to help persons find or create jobs, form cooperatives or advocate for their rights.

In particular, we fully support the initiative of the Collectif pour une loi sur l’élimination de la pauvreté which has just begun a process of drafting legislation for the Quebec National Assembly, designed to eliminate poverty in that province. We also support the activities and objectives of Campaign 2000, which attempts to hold Parliament accountable to its unanimous 1989 resolution to achieve the elimination of poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000. We urge Canada’s finance minister to make this a priority in his next budget, and for all political parties to support such laudable action.

In Canada, the Senate has recently passed a bill designed to add “social condition” to the list of prohibited grounds for discrimination in the Human Rights Act. This legislation is designed to shield the poor from the kind of discrimination they often report from banks, telephone companies or federal agencies.(5) In this year marking the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, this legislation could have the symbolic effect of encouraging Canadians to see poverty as an important human rights issue, beyond a simple concern for our personal charity. The Social Affairs Commission encourages members of Parliament to introduce and pass this legislation in the House of Commons without delay.

As well, more than 30,000 Canadians, our Commission included, signed a petition asking the federal government to establish a taskforce on sweatshop production of footwear and apparel. It is an encouraging sign that consumers are interested in using their purchasing power to obtain products that are manufactured in situations where adequate working conditions are guaranteed.(6) Many retailers seem equally interested in providing articles produced under adequate conditions. We encourage the federal government to quickly announce the establishment of such a taskforce.

In keeping with the theme of Jubilee justice, an initiative that has captured our imagination and which is gathering massive support, is the petition campaign to cancel the backlog of unpayable debts of the most impoverished nations by the year 2000. But having a “jubilee perspective” on the debt question is not simply a matter of the remission of debt; rather,it is a question of removing the harsh burdens that so oppress the poorest. “Debt forgiveness must be part of a process of the restoration of justice, harmony and equity, so that the poorest nations, and the poorest populations of those nations, are enabled to make a fresh start, to turn a new and more hopeful page in their history.”(7) We enthusiastically support the efforts of the Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative in this regard, and encourage others to join it, as well as the “In Common” global poverty campaign of Canadian development assistance NGOs.(8)

To fully prepare for the Jubilee 2000 is to act justly today by participating in actions that will eradicate poverty in Canada and abroad. To be able to celebrate the Jubilee we will need to develop a boundless solidarity, an immense capacity for prayer, and a spirituality capable of sustaining us on this journey. And to help us live in accord with the will of God, we can count on the Jubilee promise that “I will set up my dwelling among you…I will live in your midst; I will be your God and you shall be my people.”(9)

May our preparations for the Jubilee bear good fruit now, while allowing us to truly anticipate a new millennium of justice and peace for all.

Most Reverend François Thibodeau, CJM,
Bishop of Edmundston
Chairman

Most Rev. Bertrand Blanchet
Archbishop of Rimouski

Most Rev. Nicola De Angelis
Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto

Most Rev. Raymond Dumais
Bishop of Gaspé

Most Rev. Peter Sutton, OMI
Archbishop of Keewatin-Le Pas

Most Rev. V. James Weisgerber
Bishop of Saskatoon

1. Pope John Paul II, Tertio Millennio Adveniente, no. 51.

2. Ibid, no. 13.

3. Graham Fraser, “Poverty rates rising, report says,” The Globe and Mail, May 11, 1998. Their definition of poverty refers to those Canadians who must devote 56.2% or more of their gross income to “the necessities of life”, i.e., basic food, shelter and clothing. Significantly, their tabulations do not include data from the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Indian reserves and institutions such as prisons, mental hospitals and homes for the aged. See: National Council of Welfare, Poverty Profile, 1996, Spring 1998, pp. 4-9.

4. Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs, Widespread Unemployment: A Call to Mobilize the Social Forces of our Nation, April 14, 1993, no. 21.

5. See Bill S-11, sponsored by Conservative Senator Ermine Cohen, passed on June 9, 1998.

6. The fact that many Canadians are now drinking fairly-traded coffee after last year’s ecumenical campaign, and that over 250,000 persons signed petitions asking the Levi-Straus and NIKE companies to improve labour conditions, signals a growing awareness, especially among youth. October 17th is the third day of world action to raise social justice concerns with NIKE leaders around the world.

7. Roger Cardinal Etchegaray, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and President of the Committee appointed by the Pope to prepare for the Great Jubilee, “A Jubilee on Poverty,” in SEDOS, 4/29/98.

8. See The Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative, especially the debt petition campaign which is active in 70 countries, and see The Canadian Council for International Cooperation’s In common: Global Action Against Poverty, http://www.incommon.web.net, especially the Ten Point Agenda.

9. Leviticus 26:11-12.

Here are some recent documents and resources from the CCCB's Publications Service. Information on ordering these documents can be found at the bottom of this page.

CHOOSE LIFE – WORKSHOPS ON THE ENCYCLICAL EVANGELIUM VITAE

These four workshops address current ethical issues such as assisted suicide and euthanasia, the death penalty, abortion and the new reproductive technologies.

The resource includes: a series of four 2.5-hour workshops for use with groups or by individuals a workshop model for a day-long event case studies, role plays, cartoons 28 appendices to accompany the workshop models and for individual reflection notes on content, goal, process, role of facilitator and individual use additional suggestions for reflection and action bookmarks containing insights from the encyclical

112 pages, 21.5 x 28 cm, full-colour cover, saddle stitched: $14.95 (code 4-330) ISBN 0-88997-408-X

ENCYCLICAL LETTER EVANGELIUM VITAE ON THE VALUE AND INVIOLABILITY OF HUMAN LIFE

This Encyclical Letter by Pope John Paul II is a comprehensive treatise on human life from various aspects: sociological, theological, moral, and pastoral. Its four chapters correspond to each of these aspects and discuss 1) present threats against life, 2) the Christian message on Life, 3) the law of God, and 4) an appeal for a new culture of life.

196 pages, 12.5 x 23 cm: $4.95 (code 4-304) ISBN 0-88997-326-1

THE BISHOP: SERVANT OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE HOPE OF THE WORLD

Lineamenta

The title of this document shows the importance of the place of the bishop at the heart of the message of hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for Pope John Paul II has made this the theme of the next Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will be held during the Jubilee Year 2000.

LIST OF CHAPTERS
I: The Mission of the Bishop Today
II: Some Characteristics of the Bishop's Ministry
III: The Pastoral Ministry of the Bishop in a Diocese
IV: The Bishop: Minister of the Gospel for All People
V: The Spiritual Life of the Bishop

88 pages, 18 x 27 cm, soft cover: $9.95 (code 4-364) ISBN 0-88997-416-0

APOSTOLIC LETTER DIES DOMINI OF THE HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY AND FAITHFUL OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY

Among the thirty-seven themes discussed in the five chapters of the book, there are:

From the Sabbath to Sunday
The weekly Easter
Growing distinction from the Sabbath
The eighth day: image of eternity
An indispensable day!
The Eucharistic assembly
The table of the word
Easter banquet and fraternal gathering
From Mass to "mission"
The Sunday obligation
A celebration involving all
Other moments of the Christian Sunday
Sunday assemblies without a priest
Radio and television
Sunday in the Liturgical Year

104 pages, 13 x 23 cm, soft cover: $8.95 (code 4-352) ISBN 0-88997-414-4

Congregation for Catholic Education & Congregation for the Clergy

BASIC NORMS FOR THE FORMATION OF PERMANENT DEACONS

DIRECTORY FOR THE MINISTRY AND LIFE OF PERMANENT DEACONS

These two documents by the Congregations for Catholic Education and the Clergy are published in one book, with a joint declaration and introduction. The directives contained in the documents pertain to permanent deacons of the secular clergy, although many of them, with due adaptation, may also be applied to permanent deacons who are members of Institutes of Consecrated Life or Societies of Apostolic Life.

152 pages, 15 x 21 cm, laminated full-colour cover: $14.95 (code 4-349) ISBN 0-88997-412-8

Publications Service
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
90 Parent Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 7B1
Tel: 1-800-769-1147 (In Canada) or
(613) 241-7538
Fax: (613) 241-5090
http://www.cccbpublications.ca

This document is only available in French.

This document is only available in French.