---

Catholic Charity Development and Peace Lenten Calendar Links to Abortion Groups

Calendar of Canadian bishops charity contains bizarre reflections on evolution

By Terry Vanderheyden

TORONTO, March 2, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A calendar distributed to Canadian Roman Catholic parishes and meant to be used as a devotional Lenten aid to create solidarity with the poor of the Third World has links to pro-abortion groups and reflections that are generally bizarre.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops charity, Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, introduced its Share Lent calendar recently, which among other things encourages Catholics to learn more about environmental issues raised in their calendar by visiting a number of web sites. Some web site examples include: the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Sierra Club, the David Suzuki Foundation, KAIROS Canada, Greenpeace, and others. Many of these groups have strong pro-abortion and depopulationist agendas.

The Sierra Club of Canada is known to be a strong proponent of population control measures as supposedly essential to protect the environment. It also formally labels itself as “pro-choice”. Spokesman Elizabeth May warned Canadians during the recent federal election to vote against Prime Minister Stephen Harper, because “Harper, like [US President George W] Bush, would challenge a woman’s right to choose.”

The WWF in 1998 claimed to find scientific evidence for the need for mass population control.

Environment Canada in 2002 posts questions and answers about the human population on its official government website claiming that overpopulation is the reason for our environmental woes. “The environmental impact of humans . . . unlike that of other species, has increased greatly over time,” they said. The official government group rehashed the fallacy that human population is growing too quickly, and that for the survival of our environment, depopulation is a necessity: “Stopping population growth will not do away with environmental degradation, but not stopping population growth will make the situation very much worse.” The group then recommends “access to family planning services” (abortion and contraception) as a solution for thwarting population growth.

Reflections included in the calendar are bizarre, such as two references to Darwinian evolution and the origins of the world: “The water that formed 4 billion years ago is the same water around today. No more can be added. We drink the same water that dinosaurs once swam in!” Another reflection for Holy Saturday claims, “Ocean water is salty and undrinkable. The salt in our blood is the history of the emergence of life from the oceans - literally.”

Another reflection states that, “Most toilets use over 40% more water than needed.” Share Lent suggests each household donate $1.50 for each “non ‘low-flush’ toilet” per home. 

With Development and Peace entering into donation mode during Lent, Catholics are advised to consider carefully the recipients of their donations. Traditionally, a large portion of the Share Life/Lent donations go to support Development and Peace. Although the amount given to the organization by many dioceses has been cut back, it still receives sizable funds despite its history of strong political leftist leanings and its indifference to the church's moral teachings - especially on abortion and contraception, and its support over the years for some objectionable or questionable programs.

View the calendar:
http://www.devp.org/testA/current/campaign/SL2006/SL06-PDF/SL06CAL-LifesAware.pd...

See the Canadian government’s Biodiversity Information Network statement on human population:
http://www.cbin.ec.gc.ca/cbs/18.cfm?lang=e

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
http://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/womens_march/0006ci.html

Development and Peace Invites Anti-Catholic, Pro-Homosexual Activist To Speak
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/mar/03030602.html
DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE SPONSORS PRO-ABORTION MAGAZINE
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/sep/02090602.html

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE DONATES THOUSANDS TO PRO-ABORTION CONFERENCE
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/apr/01043002.html

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE FORCED TO ABANDON MARCH OF WOMEN
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/feb/01021201.html

CCODP ELECTION 2000 QUESTIONNAIRE
http://www.theinterim.com/2000/election2000/ccodpquestions.html

 

 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.