Tuesday July 6, 2010
Homosexualist Quebec Priest Set to Train Catechists at Cathedral
By Patrick B. Craine
JOLIETTE, Quebec, July 6, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Diocese of Joliette in the southwest of Quebec has announced that they will be hosting catechetical formation in the Cathedral next month, under the tutelage of the controversial and famously-dissident former Member of Parliament Fr. Raymond Gravel.
The training session is being held over two days, August 28 and September 25, and is meant for catechetical leaders, teachers, and parents. Fr. Gravel will be joined by Fr. Rémi Bourdon in leading the sessions.
The announcement comes as a growing wave of Catholics are calling for the priest to be censured due to his continuing public attacks on the Catholic Church, its teachings, and its leaders. In May of this year Fr. Gravel lashed out against Cardinal Marc Ouellet, then-Archbishop of Quebec City, slamming the prelate for having insisted that the unborn’s right to life should be protected in all circumstances, even when a child is conceived in rape.
Fr. Gravel has been an vocal critic of the Church’s teachings, particularly those regarding homosexuality and abortion. In 2006, he led a group of 19 priests in producing an open letter against the Church’s teaching on homosexuality.
The same year he took office as an MP with the support of his bishop, the Most Reverend Gilles Lussier, violating canon law which forbids a priest to serve in public office. While in office Fr. Gravel opposed pro-life legislation and backed the decision to award arch-abortionist Henry Morgentaler the Order of Canada.
He has repeatedly criticized Cardinal Ouellet, who has worked tirelessly at reversing the rampant secularization of Quebec society. Ouellet was appointed last week as prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, and the priest did not hesitate to issue a parting shot as the Cardinal leaves for Rome. He told Cyberpresse last week that Cardinal Ouellet’s time in Quebec has been a “fiasco” and that his views caused unease among Quebec’s priests and bishops.
“We need bishops who are close to Quebec reality, and not a dogmatic man,” he said. While abortion is an evil, he added, we must consider the distress of women who have been raped.
LifeSiteNews (LSN) was unable to reach the Diocese of Joliette’s spokesman after repeated calls. LSN also did not hear back from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops by press time.
Contact Information:
Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops
Palazzo della Congregazioni,
00193 Roma,
Piazza Pio XII, 10
Phone: 06.69.88.42.17
Fax: 06.69.88.53.03
Most Rev. Gilles Lussier (Gravel’s bishop)
Bishop of Joliette
2, rue Saint-Charles-Borromée Nord
C.P. 470
Joliette, Québec J6E 6H6
Tel: (450) 753-7596
Fax: (450) 759-0929
E-mail: [email protected]
Archbishop Pedro López Quintana, Apostolic Nuncio to Canada
724 Manor Avenue
Ottawa, ON
KIM OE3,
Phone: (613) 746-4914
Fax: (613) 746-4786
William Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Piazza del S. Uffizio, 11, 00193 Roma, Italy
Fax: 06.69.88.34.09
E-mail: [email protected]
(Mail or fax is most effective.)
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Pro-Gay Priest Condemns Canadian Cardinal for Remarks on Abortion/Rape
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/may/10051807.html
Quebec Priest Once Again Rebukes Canada’s Catholic Primate
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jun/10060310.html