In response to recent questions, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops reiterates that a small group originating in the United States and using the name “Catholics for a Free Choice”: 1) is not Catholic and 2) does not represent the teachings or views of the Catholic Church.

This clarification was previously made by this Conference in a letter dated 15 March 2002 to Father Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., then National Director and Chief Executive Officer for World Youth Day 2002. The letter at the time was made public and is available on the CCCB website, in English at http://www.cccb.ca/site/content/view/1098/1063/lang,eng/, in French at http://www.cccb.ca/site/content/view/1098/1063/lang,frc/.

A similar clarification about this group has also been made by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, previously known as the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (see http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2000/00-123.shtml).

The position of the Catholic Bishops of Canada on abortion and contraception is clear and was recently reiterated in the CCCB Pastoral Message Liberating Potential, which is also found on the CCCB website

– in English, at http://www.cccb.ca/site/images/stories/pdf/humanae_vitae_en.pdf
– in French, at http://www.cccb.ca/site/images/stories/pdf/humanae_vitae_fr.pdf