News

Wednesday May 19, 2010


Campaign Life Coalition Launches Petition in Support of Cardinal Ouellet

By John Jalsevac

To sign the petition in support of Cardinal Ouellet, click here.

May 19, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The last four days have not been easy for Cardinal Marc Ouellet. The archbishop of Quebec City and primate of Canada has been pilloried in the mainstream press across the country, and slammed by Quebec and federal politicians, after he explained Christian teaching on abortion at a pro-life conference hosted by Quebec Life Coalition this past Sunday.

Asked by reporters about abortion in the case of rape, the cardinal pointed out that rather than solving the rape, an abortion actually adds a second victim – the unborn child. “The child is not responsible for how he was conceived, it is the aggressor who is responsible. We can see him (the child) as another victim,” he said. (Read more here)

The remarks sparked a prompt backlash from politicians and the media, with one columnist for La Presse even publicly wishing a “long and painful death” on the cardinal.

In response to the criticism, Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), Canada’s largest pro-life organization, has launched a petition in support of Ouellet. The petition allows signers to include a message that they would like to send to the cardinal.

The petition states that the signers “offer our support to Cardinal Marc Ouellet at this time, and express our heartfelt gratitude for his courage to speak the truth about abortion in the public sphere, no matter what the personal cost.”

The petition continues: “We affirm, together with the cardinal, that abortion is always a ‘moral crime,’ and that even in the hard circumstance of rape abortion is neither an acceptable nor the truly compassionate solution. Not only does abortion further harm women who are victims of sexual assault, but it also adds a second victim – the innocent unborn child.”

“Cardinal Ouellet is a true gift to all pro-lifers in Canada and around the world, whether they are Catholic or not,” said Jim Hughes, president of Campaign Life Coalition today. “It is vitally important that at this difficult time we let him know that he is not alone, that we are standing with him and praying for him, and are deeply appreciative of his courageous defense of life.”

CLC is encouraging pro-lifers to pass on the link to the petition to as many of their friends and family as possible. The organization said that it will run the petition until it gathers a sizable number of signatures and messages, which it will then pass on to the cardinal.

To sign the petition in support of Cardinal Ouellet, click here.