---

Archdiocese of Toronto Defends John Turner

Following is the text of a letter released by the Archdiocese of Toronto in response to criticism of its selection of former Justice Minister John Turner to chair the annual Cardinal's Dinner

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ARCHDIOCESE OF TORONTO
Catholic Pastoral Centre
1155 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M4T 1W2
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION, Suite 503
Tel: (416) 934-0606 Fax: (416) 934-3444


The 21st Annual Cardinal's Dinner:
The Catholic Community United
In Service to All Human Beings

Statement of the Archdiocese of Toronto
1 October 2001


Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic wishes to express his deep appreciation for the responsibility undertaken by the Right Honourable John Turner, former Prime Minister of Canada, in chairing the 21st annual Cardinal's Dinner. This yearly fundriasing event gathers Bishops, clergy, elected officials, parishioners and professionals working in many ways to serve the Catholic community. Founded by G. Emmett Cardinal Carter and now continuing with Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic, it has for over two decades been a key source of support for many charities across the Archdiocese.

The Rt. Hon. Mr. Turner comes to his work as Chair with an experiences awareness of its purpose of service to those in need, both among the Catholic community and in society as a whole. His history of distinguished public service in the Parliament of Canada as well known, both as Prime Minister of Canada and as Leader of the Opposition. He was a Member of Parliament for almost twenty-five years, during which he held several Cabinet portfolios, including Solicitor General, Minister of Justice and Minister of Finance. He is the only person in history to have represented three provinces in the House of Commons, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. Less well known is his service to the community in organizations and activities outside the House of Commons. A lifelong Catholic, he has been a founding member of the Michaelmas Conference at the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies and a member over the ensuing four decades, Chair of the 100th Anniversary Dinner of Holy Rosary Parish in 1991, and previously Pastor's Warden and Chief Lay Warden of St. Patrick's Basilica in Montreal. He has been active over the years in numerous charitable organizations offering help to the marginalized. He is a former Chair of the Toronto Community Foundation, a municipal foundation funding community causes.

In answer to the small number of persons who have sought to cast doubt on the firm commitment of this Archdiocese to the life and welfare of all unborn human beings, the following should set to rest any question.

Mr. Turner has affirmed that the legislation amending Section 251 of the Criminal Code he brought forward as Minister of Justice merely ratified the decisions of the highest courts in Canada and other major jurisdictions. In that legislation, abortion was defined as illegal except in certain delimited circumstances related to the life and health of the mother. In preparing the legislative wording to reflect the decisions of the courts, he consulted with experts in a broad range of fields and with community leaders across the country, including the leaders of our own Church. What has happened since in Canada is the responsibility of all of society, not of any one individual, particularly one who neither willed nor mandated what came later.

As we know, in the ensuing years various forces and developments in society have removed any limit to abortion that existed in the past. Not only have there been redefinitions of a threat to "health" beyond grave medical risk to include almost any inconvenience or disappointment, such that the term "health" is rendered virtually meaningless. In addition, Section 251 was struck down and has not been replaced with any legislation at all, such that Canada is the only jurisdiction in the world in which unborn human beings are utterly without protection until they are fully born. By action or by inaction, all of Canadian society has brought this about.

The Cardinal Archbishop hopes that all of Canadian society will come to see the need and therefore act to protect all of our brothers and sisters, born and unborn, from conception to natural death. In doing so, we are called to work together, constructively and collaboratively, in mutual respect and love. Protection for all human beings must be a clear and positive part of the law, even as care and supports must be readily accessible to all mothers and their children. We are one human family, called to reach out our hands to one another, as many individuals and organizations supported by the Dinner already do, so that abortion may never be the option of despair.

It is in this service of life that the Cardinal's Dinner was founded and continues today. It is a sign of our common commitment to the care of those in need, those who are vulnerable, those who are marginalized. This common commitment is a visible sign of unity in diversity, whether in ethnic, linguistic or cultural background, in occupation, in age or any other social or personal characteristic. It transcends any political affiliation; the elected representatives of the people at all political levels and in all political parties are themselves called, encouraged and challenged to recognize and act cooperatively and effectively to protect and care for every human being. Given the grave challenges that the world is now facing, the unity and readiness to care for those who need us will be all the more essential in the days ahead.

Cardinal Ambrozic wishes to express his appreciation to the Chair and Members of the Committee organizing the Cardinal's Dinner, as well as to all those who participate so enthusiastically and faithfully each year. We gather in mutual respect and love, working together to provide supports for those most in need.

 Back to Top

---

MORE NEWS: LifeSiteNews.com Home Page  Last 10 Days   Archives   Special Reports

Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.