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Email: "Editorial - Catholic Leadership Takes Unprecedented Role in 2006 Federal Elections"

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BY LifeSiteNews.com By John-Henry Westen  Editor  LifeSiteNews.comArriving in some 239,000 Canadian mailboxes this week is a letter from the U.S.-headquartered Knights of Columbus, an international Catholic fraternal organization which boasts some 2 million members. Quoting Vatican statements, the letter points out that two issues are of central importance for Catholics when considering how to vote - life and family issues or, in the current political context, abortion (and embryonic stem cell research) and same-sex marriage. Considering each Canadian has the potential to influence some 8-10 family members and friends, the letter stands to impact two million votes in Canada. Also this week a letter from the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) was published and sent out to all Catholic dioceses in the country representing the country’s 12.5 million Catholics. COLF is an organization founded and funded by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Knights of Columbus. Topping the list of considerations for Catholic voters are life and family concerns, according to COLF. “As we prepare to elect a new government, we must determine the position of candidates on the first of all human rights: the right to life,” says the document.ÂÂUnder ‘Life’, COLF notes, “At this time in the history of Canada, a realistic look at society reveals a fundamental problem - the loss of respect for human life and dignity. This is evident in so many ways: the legal void that permits abortion right up to birth; medical research that authorizes the destruction of embryos; a mentality that increasingly favours euthanasia and assisted suicide.” COLF also notes violence, abuse of women and children, prostitution, pornography and drugs, contribute to the loss of respect for human life and dignity. Under ‘family’, the second criterion listed, COLF notes that the family in Canada is “under attack” from the redefinition of marriage. The document notably calls attention not only to the marriage legislation but also warns that we must ensure that schools respect the traditional definition of marriage “by not proposing a conflicting vision to our children.”It’s not that Catholic leaders in Canada have not spoken about Catholic participation in the election prior to this election. However, they have never been so specific in identifying priority issues. However, those priorities are now spelled out for Catholics thanks to none other than the Pope himself.ÂÂIt was Pope Benedict XVI, who while still a Cardinal heading up the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published the document “Catholics in Political Life”. That document which was released in early 2003 with the signatures of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and then-Pope John Paul II noted that within the realm of politics, certain moral concerns “do not admit of exception, compromise or derogation.”The document clearly laid out those concerns stating, “This is the case with laws concerning abortion and euthanasia,” . . . “the duty to respect and protect the rights of the human embryo” . . . “the family needs to be safeguarded and promoted, based on monogamous marriage between a man and a woman . . . “The Vatican document also added in that category “the freedom of parents regarding the education of their children” and “society’s protection of minors and freedom from modern forms of slavery (drug abuse and prostitution, for example).”With the recent battle over same sex marriage and the promise to revisit the legislation; , with a healthy number of MPs and current political candidates opposed to embryonic stem cell research; and with the Liberal government entertaining proposals for assisted suicide, the political climate in Canada is ripe for what many see as a long overdue re-emphasis of basic Catholic moral perspectives. Even granting of parents the freedom to choose the best form of early child care for their children is a political hot potato addressed by Rome. Letters and columns by individual bishops touching on these issues are being released by the day as January 23rd approaches. Ontario Catholics will soon be privy to a communication sent out by the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops (OCCB).ÂÂThe OCCB release on the election notes a list of “issues pertaining to human life that should be addressed during the federal election campaign” and says that the “teaching of the Church on life and family moves us to bring these matters before the candidates.” It urges Catholics to “compare the responses of candidates” to the issues. What are the issues?ÂAbortion, traditional marriage, family, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, euthanasia and assisted suicide.Sound familiar?A big thank you to Pope Benedict XVI for a Church which is relevant to today’s culture in Canada and around the world.  See the Knights of Columbus letterhttp://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006_docs/Knights.pdfSee the full COLF open letter to Canadian Catholics:http://ocvf.cccb.ca/PublicStatements.htm?CD=313&ID=585See the OCCB statement on Life Issues and the electionhttp://www.occb.on.ca/english/ElectionLifeIssuesDec05.pdf http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/editorial-catholic-leadership-takes-unprecedented-role-in-2006-federal-elec/

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