Tuesday April 20, 2010
Canadian Bishops: “Catholics for Choice” is Not Catholic
By John-Henry Westen
OTTAWA, April 16, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has reiterated that the group “Catholics for a Free Choice” is “not Catholic” and “does not represent the teachings or views of the Catholic Church.”
The small group, originating in the United States and described as “fraudulent” by faithful Catholics, made media headlines in recent weeks by criticizing the Harper government for refusing to push abortion in the G8 maternal healthcare push.
Mainstream media outlets such as Canadian Press, the Montreal Gazette, and the Toronto Sun, all referred to the group as if it were authentically Catholic with headlines such as “Catholic group urges Harper to include abortion, contraception in G8 policy.”
The CCCB recalled that already in 2002 they had denounced “Catholics for a Free Choice” for “usurping the Church’s name” when, in fact, “it is in no way recognized as Catholic.”
Moreover, the CCCB explained, “The position of the Catholic Bishops of Canada on abortion and contraception is clear and was recently reiterated in the CCCB Pastoral Message Liberating Potential.”
In that document the bishops of Canada stated, “Abortion, sterilization and contraception are in opposition to the Creator’s intention at the heart of sexual intercourse, preventing, if God so desires, the creation of a unique soul for the unique body that the spouses help to form.”
Rosemary Ganley of ‘Catholics for Choice Canada’ was not available for comment on this story.