Canadadian March for Life, Ottawa 2011

A massive 15,000 people took part in a March for Life in Ottawa, Canada, on Thursday of last week.   Amongst the crowd were Archbishop Prendergast of Ottawa, Bishop de Angelis of Peterborough, and Archbishop Gerald Lacroix of Quebec City and Primate of Canada, to mention just a few.

Also present during the March was a significant group of Eastern Rite clergy and lay people, together with groups such as Silent no More and others.   The huge crowd gathered at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, where they were addressed by a number of eminent speakers in the world of pro-life.

The blog, Socon or Bust, –- gives a great account of the occasion, together with quite a few photographs which give an excellent picture of the atmosphere of the day.   It is well worth a visit.

The blogger writes that: ‘The fact is that abortion is the most important issue of our time. People of faith and family know it.  Our opponents know it.  The only people who refuse to acknowledge it are the politicians who give us lame excuses that we should not be re-opening this debate, as if this issue was a settled issue.  Well, the reality is it’s not settled. …’

 see YouTube Video of March for Life

Indeed, those words could very well be applied to many other countries.   In Ireland, for example, a coalition of pro-abortion groups – Amnesty International, Irish Family Planning Association, etc., – has recently compiled a report, ostensibly on human rights in this country, and has already submitted their report for consideration to the UN Universal Periodic Review committee, which will be ‘examining’ the situation in relation to human rights in Ireland, next October.    However, the authors have incorporated the names of various organisations in the report, describing them as ‘endorsers’ of the report.     But the report carries a very definite ‘recommendation’ to the UN that Ireland should abandon her Constitutional protection of unborn children and make provision for abortions to be carried out in Ireland.   It now appears that a number of the organisations whose endorsement of the report is indicated thereoin were not aware that their name had been hijacked by the pro-abortion lobby, and one by one these organisations have been – thankfully – withdrawing their support for the report, following a request from pro-life groups and members of the public that they should do so.

We are not the masters of human life

Congratulations to Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte of Montreal for having the courage to follow his conscience. Mulier Fortis reports that Cardinal Turcotte, who was given the title of Officer of the Order of Canada in 1996, has returned his insignia after the Order decided to honour abortionist Dr Henry Morgentaler. In a public statement announcing his decision, he wrote:

I must admit that I had hoped that, in light of the large number of protests, the Consultative Council for the Order of Canada would revise its decision. Because it has not done so up to now and because silence on my part might be misinterpreted, I feel obliged in conscience to reaffirm my convictions regarding the respect for human life, from conception to death. We are not the masters of human life; it rests in the hands of God.

The Cardinal will inevitably face criticism for the stand he has taken, so please consider contacting his office to express your support and to thank him for his courageous witness.