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Largest Paper in Canada Prints Hate Column Against Catholic Church

TORONTO, October 11, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Toronto Star, the largest circulation paper in Canada, has printed a column which is being regarded by some Catholics as a clear case of inciting hatred towards the Catholic Church.  Celebrated Star columnist Joey Slinger's column entitled "With this Vatican, all's fair in faith and war" appears in the 'news' section of today's paper on page A2. The Star, often referred to as the Red Star by critics, has a long history of bias in its reporting of stories related to traditional morality and any institutions supporting that morality.

In the column, Slinger takes issue with the Pope and Bishops of the Catholic Church who are considering refusal of communion for those Catholics who obstinately persist in grave public sin, such as pro-abortion and pro-same-sex 'marriage' politicians.  "So the Pope is thinking about excommunicating our Prime Minister, is he? In the religion game, that's called hardball," writes Slinger.

Slinger continues, "So if the Pope wants to play hardball, fine. We can play hardball too.   How about he can excommunicate our Prime Minister and we can get rid of the tax exemption on Catholic Church property?  What a windfall that would be. Millions. Millions upon millions. Mega-millions if we make it retroactive . . . They'd have to start selling their real estate. Failing that, we'd have to seize it and auction it off. It's happened before. It was a fairly popular medieval screw-you gesture."

The belligerent anti-Catholicism in the article has deeply offended Catholics. LifeSiteNews.com has spoken to some who are considering launching human rights complaints.  Slinger, a "humour" columnist, presumably assumes the column can be passed off as humour but critics respond that had the same type of comments been made of Muslims or Jews the Star would never have printed such an offensive, threatening article. They are urging Catholics and others to contact the Star and also complain to the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Ontario Press Council about the article as inciting hatred towards Catholics and an attempt to intimidate a religious denomination to change its beliefs and internal disciplines.

Following the diatribe Slinger adds, "I hope this won't be mistaken for some kind of threat. It's just that if the Pope feels inclined to give us something to think about, we might as well give him something to think about."  Concluding, "All's fair in faith and war. But isn't it strange that the further we move ahead into the 21st century, the further the Vatican moves backward into the 12th?"

To express concerns to the Toronto Star:
The Star's Bureau of Accuracy and Public Editor
by email at
by phone at 416-869-4949; or by fax at 416-869-4322:

To file a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/english/about/contact.shtml

To file a complaint with the Ontario Press Council
http://www.ontpress.com/

See Slinger's full column:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_T...

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TORONTO STAR FEMINIST COLUMNIST, M. LANDSBERG, FOUND UNFAIR TO EVANGELICALS
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/jun/02061203.html

jhw

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