Wednesday June 23, 2010
Group Rebukes Canadian Gvmt for Pushing Homosexuality in Romania
By Patrick B. Craine
OTTAWA, Ontario, June 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Canadian national pro-family group is taking their government to task after Canada’s ambassador to Romania, Philippe Beaulne, officially backed the country’s week-long “gay pride” event in the capital last month.
“Canada should shut its mouth about the internal affairs of other countries,” said Gwen Landolt, national vice president of REAL Women Canada.
Cecilia Forsyth, the group’s national president, wrote to Prime Minister Stephen Harper two weeks ago objecting to Canada’s “interference in the democratic process and domestic policies” of Romania by signing a joint statement supporting the annual “Gayfest” in Bucharest.
“The Canadian government has distanced itself from pride festivals in Canada by refusing to fund them, as many Canadians find gay pride displays objectionable and anti-family,” she wrote on June 10. “Why then has the Canadian embassy in Romania interfered in the domestic and cultural affairs of Romania, apparently contrary to the views of religious and other organizations in that country?”
Landolt informed LifeSiteNews (LSN) that the Prime Minister’s office responded to the letter Tuesday, saying they had passed it on to Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs. REAL Women still awaits Minister Cannon’s reply.
The May 20 statement was signed by embassies representing 11 countries. “We express our support for, and solidarity with, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in Romania,” they wrote, calling “Gayfest” a “traditional occasion.”
“Some individuals still face discrimination, both systemic and overt, based on their sexual orientation and gender identity,” they continued. “Our governments seek to combat such discrimination by promoting the human rights of all people.”
“Everyone, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people should be free to enjoy the rights and freedoms to which people of all nations are entitled,” they added.
In addition to Canada, the statement was signed by Australia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the U.S.
Critics have emphasized that homosexuality is strongly opposed in Romania. According to local media, the number of participants in the march was estimated at 350; no major politicians from the country were present. The march was, however, attended by three foreign ambassadors and a British Member of European Parliament.
The Romanian Evangelical Alliance, representing 60,000 Romanian evangelicals in 139 churches across the U.S. and Canada, excoriated U.S. Ambassador Mark Gitenstein for his involvement in the statement and demanded an apology.
“Until recently, homosexuality was virtually unknown in Romania,” they wrote. “It always has been and continues to be viewed as an immoral lifestyle by the overwhelming majority of Romanians.”
“We do not find it appropriate that homosexuals should be encouraged or receive approval to live a lifestyle which by all accounts is destructive,” they added. “On the contrary, they, like all citizens, should be encouraged to live sober and moral lives.”
In her letter, Forsyth pointed out the hypocrisy of Canada’s involvement in the statement, given the fact that Canadians recently objected strongly to foreign interference with Canada’s own policy. “It was highly offensive to most Canadians that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized Canadian policies on a number of issues when she attended a meeting of G-8 foreign ministers in Ottawa at the end of March 2010,” she wrote. “Why then are we deliberately offending many Romanians by failing to be neutral on their own domestic policies?”
“The Romanian government does not need or desire Canada to interfere with its domestic concerns,” she concluded. “We sincerely hope and trust that such interference by Canada will not occur again in Romania or in any other country.”
Find the joint statement here.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Ten Foreign Diplomats Pressure Romania to Change Gay Laws
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jun/10060803.html