QUEBEC, March 18, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Parti Quebecois (PQ) candidate who said baptism and circumcision were equivalent to rape is being defended by party leader Pauline Marois as a “supporter of our charter on religious neutrality.”
Louise Mailloux, a candidate in the Montreal riding of Gouin who is a renowned feminist and philosopher, made the comment in her book Laïcité ça s'impose!, published in 2011.
Mailloux compared Christian baptism and Jewish circumcision to rape since she said a child’s religion is forced upon him or her at birth.
Christians believe that baptism with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit restores a person to life with God that had been lost by the original sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Following Moses, Jews believe that one enters into covenant with God through circumcision.
Marois defended Mailloux while campaigning for the upcoming election last Friday, saying that a candidate is allowed to express whatever opinions they wish as long as they do not oppose the party platform.
“Her writings are eloquent, I respect her point of view,” said Marois. “She is a supporter of our charter on religious neutrality and we appreciate her support.”
Despite offering a partial apology on Saturday, Mailloux told a reporter for La Presse earlier in the week that she “absolutely” stands by her comments.
“I never wanted to offend or hurt anyone,” she said in a press release. “If that has happened, I very sincerely apologize.”
While a majority of Quebecers identify themselves as Catholic, the province underwent a “Quiet Revolution” beginning in the 1960s that saw a sharp drop in the influence of the faith on public and private life along with rapid secularization.
Marois’ government tabled the controversial Charter of Values in November. Critics say it undermined religious freedom by forcing government employees to remove conspicuous religious symbols.
The PQ government was also behind the push to legalize euthanasia in the province as “medical aid in dying,” a move that was foiled by the election call earlier this month.
In the wake of a plummeting birth rate and population levels — due largely to contraception and abortion — political leaders are attempting to keep a secular Quebec afloat by the imposition of language laws, mandatory courses taught in schools, and now even a move towards sovereignty.
The election is set for April 7.