(Ottawa – CCCB) From March 11-19, 2005, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) will be participating in a Canadian delegation of Church representatives that will examine the impact of free trade in Mexico from a human rights perspective, look at alternatives, and develop concrete recommendations to be made to the Canadian government.

Most Rev. Daniel Bohan, Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto, and a member of the CCCB Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs, will be among those participating in this mission, which has been organized by KAIROS, an ecumenical organization that brings together about a dozen coalitions and committees dedicated to social justice and the defence of human rights.

Working with partners in Mexico, the delegates will have meetings with human rights organizations, Churches, labour unions, Indigenous groups and women’s organizations. They will also visit local communities affected by trade policies. Half of the delegation will go to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, a city along the U.S. border that is built almost entirely around export processing zones and maquiladoras, factories that employ cheap local workers. The other half of the delegation will go to Chiapas in southern Mexico to explore the impact of free trade on Indigenous and rural communities and hear about ongoing issues of militarization. Delegates will also spend time in Mexico City meeting with national human rights and economic justice groups, as well as representatives of the Canadian Embassy.

On their return, the delegates will go to Ottawa to bring their recommendations before the Canadian government during the Global Week of Action on Trade, April 10-16.

KAIROS will have nine delegates in Mexico. In addition to Bishop Bohan, the group will include Rt. Rev. Susan Moxley, Suffragan Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI; Rev. Raymond L. Schultz, National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada; Ms. Wanda West, lay member of the Executive of the General Council of the United Church of Canada; Sister Sheila Moss, S.S.A. (Sisters of St. Ann); Father Paul Hansen, C.Ss.R., Chair of the KAIROS Board, and Rev. J. Mark Lewis, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. KAIROS staff Rusa Jeremic and Rachel Warden will accompany the delegates.

Related Link:

• KAIROS

For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca

(CCCB – Ottawa)…CCCB Publications has just released an indispensable reference tool: the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. This comprehensive resource contains a complete overview of the Church’s doctrine on Catholic social teaching, presented in a simple and straightforward format that makes it accessible to all. It is the first Vatican release of its kind in the history of the Church.

Designed as a companion to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this exhaustive reference work of close to 500 pages will be of service to all the faithful, Catholics and others, on matters related to the Church’s teaching on social ethics.

A complete overview

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church presents in a complete and systematic manner the Church’s social teaching. A far-reaching compilation, it covers all the challenging cultural and social issues facing society today, from globalization to homosexual unions. Topics include the environment, pre-emptive war, terrorism, the death penalty, immigration, poverty, free markets, human rights, politics, the family, business, workers’ rights, private property, and much more.

The Compendium is organized in three parts. The first deals with the fundamentals of social doctrine. The second discusses the various social issues themselves. The third part contains a series of recommendations for the use of social doctrine in the pastoral activity of the Church and in the life of Christians, above all, the laity.

The work is accompanied by two useful indexes: a complete reference index to citations from Scripture and Vatican documents as well as other sources, and also an extensive 164-page analytical index.

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church may be ordered at a cost of $29.95 plus tax and shipping from CCCB Publications on-line at www.cccbpublications.ca, by email at publi@cccb.ca, by phone at 1 800 769-1147 or by fax at (613) 241-5090.

For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca

(Ottawa – CCCB) Rev. Richard Côté, a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), passed away at home in Ottawa, on 9 March 2005. He was Director of the Office for Ecclesial Relations and Doctrine at the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).

Born 14 September 1934, Father Côté has been at the CCCB since 1 February 2001. Until December 2004, he was Director of the Theology Office of the CCCB, which has since been reorganized as the Office for Ecclesial Relations and Doctrine. For the past four years, he was the secretary for the Episcopal Commission for Theology of the CCCB.

After obtaining in 1967 a licentiate in theology from the University of Angers, France, and a doctorate in religious studies from the University of Strasbourg, France, Father Côté began his teaching career that same year at the National University of Lesotho in South Africa. He has also taught at Weston School of Theology, in Cambridge, Mass., at Xavier University and Loyola University in New Orleans, and at Pope John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Mass. On staff at Saint Paul University in Ottawa since 1987, he was instrumental there in the growth of its Institute for Mission Studies, especially its ad intra program.

A prolific author, he has a number of works to his name. In addition to having worked with and prepared reports for the Assemblée des évêques du Québec, Father Côté has for a number of years served on the advisory committee of Concilium, an international journal of theology, as well as associate editor of Mission, formerly Kerygma, a biannual journal of mission studies, and also associate editor of Ministry, a quarterly theological review for Africa.

In demand as a resource person and speaker throughout Canada and Europe, he had served as provincial counsellor for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate for the Lesotho province (1967-69) and the Northern USA province (1980-86), as well as on the executive board of the USA Oblate formation conference.

Visitation will be held at the Deschâtelets Residence (175 Main St, Ottawa) on Sunday, March 13 from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. as well as the following Monday morning starting at 10:00 a.m. A community prayer service will be held on Sunday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m., at Deschâtelets. The funeral will take place at Sacré-Coeur Church in Ottawa (on the University of Ottawa Campus) on Monday, March 14 at at 2:00 p.m., with Most Rev. Claude Champagne, O.M.I., Auxiliary Bishop of Halifax, presiding.

For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca

(Ottawa – CCCB)   Bishops from Canada, the United States and Latin America met in Bogota, Colombia, 15-16 February, 2004, at the 33rd Meeting of the Bishops of the Church in America, the sixth since the 1999 Pope John Paul II Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in America.

This year, media and evangelization were at the centre of the discussions. According to Ecclesia in America, “For the new evangelization to be effective, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the culture of our time in which the social communications media are most influential. Therefore, knowledge and use of the media, whether the more traditional forms or those which technology has produced in recent times, is indispensable. Contemporary reality demands a capacity to learn the language, nature and characteristics of mass media. Using the media correctly and competently can lead to a genuine inculturation of the Gospel.” (No. 72)

Three main topics were discussed during the meeting. Latin American bishops gave a presentation on the freedom of the press, and media concerns for the dignity of the human person. Bishops from the United States focussed on Catholic media, while the Canadian delegation addressed the formation of those working in the media.

The bishops attending the Bogota meeting included the Executive Committees of the Episcopal Conferences of Canada and the United States, and the Episcopal Council of Latin America (CELAM), as well as their General Secretaries. The five-member Canadian delegation included CCCB President Archbishop Brendan M. O’Brien, Saint John’s; Vice President Archbishop André Gaumond, Sherbrooke; Co-Treasurer Archbishop James Weisgerber, Winnipeg; Co-Treasurer Bishop Pierre Morissette, Baie-Comeau; Co-Treasurer; and General Secretary Msgr. Mario Paquette, P.H.

These informal meetings of the bishops have been held annually since 1967. At their 1999 meeting in Cuba, the bishops decided to change the name from Interamerican Meeting of Bishops to the Meeting of the Bishops of the Church in America to emphasize the unity of the Church in the Western hemisphere.

The first meeting using this new name was in Vancouver during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, which focussed on the cancellation of the debt of the poorest countries. The bishops have also discussed immigration (United States, 2001), globalization of the economy (Brazil, 2002), the globalization of our local cultures (Quebec City, 2003) and the family (United States, 2004).

For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca

(CCCB – Ottawa) The Catholic bishops of Canada have pinpointed a number of significant weaknesses in Bill C-38, which they say threaten freedom of conscience and religion, contrary to federal government promises.

Most Reverend Brendan M. O’Brien, Archbishop of St. John’s, Newfoundland, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), has outlined the concerns in a letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin.

The letter is a reminder that all the Catholic bishops of the country oppose the Bill. As well, it reiterates the fundamental reasons why they believe the present definition of marriage must be retained as the loving, life-giving partnership of a man and a woman. The letter also notes ambiguities in the Bill that the bishops say pose threats to faith groups.

Among the dangers identified in Bill C-38 are that the Government of Canada fails to affirm its intention to protect freedom of conscience and religion by cooperating with provincial and territorial governments in those areas where they have certain jurisdiction in marriage. The Bill does not state that leaders and members of faith groups everywhere in Canada will have the freedom to teach and preach on marriage or on homosexuality in accordance with their conscience and religion. Nor does the Bill offer protection so that an organization identified with a particular faith group cannot be compelled to allow the use of its facilities in preparations for or celebrations relating to marriage ceremonies contrary to that faith. In addition, the Bill fails to help protect civil as well as religious officials who witness marriages from being compelled to assist when these are contrary to their conscience and religion.

Another concern raised in the letter from Archbishop O’Brien is that the charitable status of faith groups could be at risk if they do not accept the proposed redefinition of marriage.

In concluding his letter, the CCCB President reiterates his appeal for a free vote so that all members of the House of Commons, including Cabinet ministers, can vote on this important question according to their own conscience.

Related Links:

• Read the letter to Prime Minister of Canada
• Resources on Marriage

For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca

(CCCB – Ottawa) His Holiness Pope John Paul II today named two auxiliary bishops to the Archdiocese of Quebec City: Rev. Pierre-André Fournier and Rev. Gilles Lemay. They will be assisting His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec. These nominations will bring the number of auxiliary bishops for Quebec to three, with the bishops-elect to join Most Rev. Jean-Pierre Blais, who has served in this capacity since 1995.

Born 8 June 1943 in Plessisville, Quebec, Rev. Pierre-André Fournier studied theology at the Grand Séminaire in Quebec City, as well as receiving a master’s degree in educational pastoral ministry from the University of Sherbrooke. Ordained 10 June 1967 for the Archdiocese of Quebec, he has served as pastor and vicar of many different parishes including Saint Roch (1983-1995). He also served as a pastoral assistant within the school system, as having been responsible for two of the dioceses pastoral regions, and as diocesan pastoral coordinator for Young Christian Workers. At the time of his appointment, he was director of the Diocesan Pastoral Office and Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Affairs.

Born 24 February 1948 in Sainte-Emmélie, Quebec, Bishop-elect Lemay studied theology at the Grand Séminaire in Quebec City. He was ordained to the priesthood on 18 June 1972, starting his ministry at Saint Eugène parish in Vanier, and then was secretary-coordinator for the pastoral region of Lotbinière/Bois-Franc. From 1984 to 1999, he was member and then superior of the team of diocesan priests ministering as missionaries in Paraguay. Since his return to Quebec in 1999, and up to the time of his nomination, he was pastor of the parishes of Saint-Étienne de Lauzon, Saint-Nicolas and Très-Saint-Rédempteur.

The Archdiocese of Quebec has a Catholic population of 917,000 in 224 parishes and missions, served by 461 diocesan priests, 320 religious order priests, 90 permanent deacons, 3,517 religious sisters and brothers, and 186 lay pastoral assistants.

For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca

(CCCB – Ottawa)… A nation-wide collection organized by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has raised at least $7 million to aid victims of the recent earthquake and tidal waves in Southeast Asia.

The total amount donated in Catholic parishes on Saturday and Sunday, January 8-9, 2005 will not be tabulated for several days. All funds collected will be added to the $ 2.5 million already raised by Development and Peace, the Canadian Catholic Church’s official agency for international development, bringing the total to at least $9.5 million

“I am extremely happy that Canadian Catholics have responded with such generosity to our appeal. This is a clear indication of the tremendous sense of the charity and solidarity they feel for those who suffer”, said Most Rev. Brendan M. O’Brien, Archbishop of St. John’s and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, who had launched this appeal and encouraged the special collection.

Development and Peace will use part of the money immediately to help the estimated one million or more people who are homeless and in desperate need of water, food, shelter, household kits, sanitation materials and blankets. The remainder will finance short, medium and long-term projects help the tsunami victims rebuild their lives.

Development and Peace is eligible for matching funds from the Canadian government for its emergency projects in Asia. It is also one of the organizations that will receive proceeds from the CANADA FOR ASIA benefit concert that will be broadcast in English on CBC radio and television tomorrow, January 13, 2005, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

Development and Peace is continuing to accept donations from the public. Donors can contribute via the Internet at http://www.devp.org/, by calling 1-888-664-3387, or by mailing a cheque to:

Development and Peace
5633 Sherbrooke St. East
Montréal (Quebec) H1N 1A3  
(The cheque should be marked “Tsunami Emergency”) 

Source:

• For Development and Peace:
• Jack Panozzo – Toronto
  416-922-1592 x 222 / Cell: 416-697-6505 / jack.panozzo@devp.org
• Ken Whittingham– Montreal
  514-257-8711, x 309 / kwhittingham@devp.org
   
• For the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Sylvain Salvas – Ottawa
  613-241-9461, x 107 / salvas@cccb.ca

(CCCB – Ottawa)… Following an invitation by the President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Archbishop Brendan M. O’Brien, millions of Canadian Catholics are being asked, during the Saturday and Sunday Mass (8 and 9 January), to contribute generously to assist regions in Southeast Asia devastated by the recent tsunamis.

The money raised will be given to Development and Peace, the international development agency established by the Catholic Bishops of Canada in 1967. Development and Peace has already collected over $1 million in emergency aid.

Development and Peace is the Canadian representative of Caritas Internationalis, and will be working with them to ensure immediate aid and help in the reconstruction of the countries devastated by the tidal wave. Caritas Internationalis, a Catholic international aid network based in Rome, is active in over 200 countries and regions. They have already sent over $42 million in emergency aid to Southeast Asia.

All donations collected in the parishes and sent to Development and Peace before 11 January are eligible for the federal government’s grant matching program, which promises that the government will double the amount collected by individual donors.

More information on the national collection for Southeast Asia is available on the website of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops: http://www.cccb.ca.

Donations can be made to Development and Peace by phoning its toll-free number 1-888-664-3387 or on-line at www.devp.org.

Further information on the federal program is available on the website of the Canada Revenue Agency at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/charities/tsunami_faq-e.html.

For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca

(CCCB – Ottawa)… On Saturday 8 January, Most Rev. Brendan M. O’Brien, Archbishop of St. John’s and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), will travel to Jerusalem and Bethlehem to participate at a meeting on the future of the Holy Land and the problems confronting the Christians there.

This will be the fourth consecutive year the CCCB has accepted an invitation of the bishops in the Holy Land. Archbishop O’Brien will be accompanied by Msgr. Mario Paquette, P.H., CCCB General Secretary.

The Canadian delegation and representatives of episcopal conferences of the United States and Europe will obtain first-hand information on the current situation in the land where Christ was born and will express their solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Israel and Palestine. Also present at this meeting will be members of other organizations such as the Pontifical Mission Societies, Caritas Jerusalem and Catholic Relief Services, a U.S. Catholic international aid agency.

As last year, some of the representatives will meet with the members of the Palestinian Authority. Because of the elections to be held next Sunday, the details of this meeting are not yet known. Last year, Archbishop O’Brien attended a meeting with the late President Yasser Arafat.

For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca

(CCCB Ottawa) … Most Reverend Marc Leclerc, Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of Quebec, Quebec, died 3 January, 2005, at the age of 71.

Born in 1933 in Saint-Grégoire de Montmorency, Quebec, he was ordained to the priesthood on 31 May, 1958. Named Auxiliary Bishop in Quebec by Pope John Paul II on 17 June, 1982, he was ordained bishop by Cardinal Louis-Albert Vachon, then Archbishop of Quebec, three months later. For health reasons, he retired in 1998, after the Holy Father had accepted his resignation.

There will be visitation Sunday, 9 January, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Cathedral, in Quebec City. On the following Monday, there will be visitation, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The funeral will take place at the Cathedral on Monday 10 January at 2:00 p.m., presided by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec.

For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca