Bill C-6 would amend the Criminal Code to prohibit certain activities relating to “conversion therapy”, which the bill defines as a practice, treatment or service designed to change an individual’s sexual orientation to heterosexual or gender identity to cisgender or to reduce non-heterosexual sexual attraction or sexual behaviour.
Specifically, the Bill would enact new offences to prohibit activities which include the following:
causing an individual to undergo conversion therapy against their will;
causing a[ny] child to undergo conversion therapy; and
doing anything for the purpose of removing a child from Canada with the intention that the child undergo conversion therapy outside Canada.
Focused close up image of two tea mugs cups with a book on coffee table and two young lovers in background. Spending time together. Love and passion concept. Pastime with spouse girlfriend boyfriend
Proponents’ Position
Proponents of the bill maintain that conversion therapy is a harmful practice which should be criminal. They point to coercive and harmful quasi-medical treatments of the past, such as electroshock therapy, employed to change a person’s homosexual orientation. In addition, proponents see such practices as treating LGBT people as deficient and in need of repair, and therefor contrary to the dignity of LGBT people.
Critics’ Position
The bill’s critics generally do not take issue with the objective of criminalizing harmful and coercive conversion therapy. The critics maintain, however, that the definition of conversion therapy employed by the bill is so broad and inaccurate that it is in danger of capturing scenarios which do not fairly constitute not conversion therapy. For example, the bill contains no accommodation for parental communication e.g. a parent advising a child to wait before commencing irreversible transition treatments. Similarly, there is no exception for pastoral communication e.g. to abstain from non-heterosexual relations. In addition, because of a one-sided definition, the bill creates a one-way street for gender identity issues, only allowing treatments which move people away from their birth gender. For example, a youth with gender identity issues would be able to access assistance for a gender transition, but not assistance to identify with their birth gender. The bill would thereby criminalize the process of “de-transitioning.”
Relevant Catholic Teaching
The Church teaches that:
Men and women with homosexual tendencies must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. – 358 Catechism of the Catholic Church. Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity. Physical, moral and spiritual difference and complementarities are oriented towards the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. -224 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
The family is the primary unit in society. It is where education begins and the Word of God is first nurtured. The Church considers the family as the first natural society, with underived rights that are proper to it, and places it at the centre of social life. Relegating the family to a subordinate or secondary role, excluding it from its rightful position in society, would be to inflict grave harm on the authentic growth of society as a whole. The family possesses its own specific and original social dimension, in that it is the principal place of interpersonal relationships, the first and vital cell of society. The family is a divine institution that stands at the foundation of life of the human person as the prototype of every social order. – 209-211, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
The priority of the family over society and the State must be affirmed. The Church teaches that the proper role of government and other human institutions is to foster human life and dignity by maintaining social conditions that enable and encourage us to serve God in one another, and thereby to promote that which is truly in the common interest. In virtue of the principle of subsidiarity, public authorities have no right to take away from the family tasks which it can accomplish well by itself or in free association with other families; on the other hand, these same authorities have the duty to sustain the family, ensuring that it has all the assistance that it needs to fulfil properly its responsibilities.
Points to Ponder
Consider discussing the following questions with your local candidates, elected officials, and the parties, and with your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and fellow parishioners. On prayerful reflection, consider sharing your conclusions with your elected representatives by writing respectful and informative letters.
Do you agree with the bill in its current form?
Does the bill, in its current form, adequately prevent harm to those, and particularly children, who may have possible homosexual tendencies? If not, how should it be amended?
Does the bill, in its current form, adequately protect the rights of families, including the right of children to be educated by their parents?
Does the bill, in its current form, adequately safeguard the rights of parents, who will after all be called to defend their parental actions before the Creator of the universe?
Does the bill, in its current form, provide adequate protections for private conversations, which may – as stressed by Pope Francis in Fratelli tutti – if open, honest, and sometimes challenging, lead to growth and advancement of the common good?
Legislative History
Introduced by David Lametti (Liberal, MP for LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, PQ, Minister of Justice.
While honouring two journalists who have worked at the Vatican for more than four decades, Pope Francis lauded the journalistic vocation and offered his wisdom for journalists today. His tips for media included:
“Your mission is to explain the world, to make it less obscure, to make those who live in it less afraid and to look at others with greater awareness.”
“Journalists [should be] willing to ‘wear out the soles of their shoes,’ to get out of the newsroom, to walk around the city, to meet people, to assess the situations in which we live in our time.”
To report or recount what has happened and why, the pope said, journalists should not make themselves the star of the story or the judge of an event, but they do have to allow themselves “to be struck and sometimes wounded” by the stories they encounter.
Pope Francis also asked reporters to remember that “the church is not a political organization with left- and right-wingers, as is the case in parliaments. At times, unfortunately, our considerations are reduced to this, with some root in reality. But no, the church is not this.”
OUR ANALYSIS:
CST VALUE: TRUTH
Brendan: The Compendium of Catholic Social Teaching (198) reads, Men and women have the specific duty to move always towards the truth, to respect it and bear responsible witness to it. Living in the truth has special significance in social relationships. In fact, when the coexistence of human beings within a community is founded on truth, it is ordered and fruitful, and it corresponds to their dignity as persons. The more people and social groups strive to resolve social problems according to the truth, the more they distance themselves from abuses and act in accordance with the objective demands of morality. The Pope’s “tips” for journalists bring to life this idea of truth as foundational to the proper ordering of the community.
A community founded in truth is fruitful. Media well-rooted in its vocation is oriented towards truth. Media’s unveiling of truth makes the world less obscure, in the Pope’s words, which means we as citizens can approach the world “less afraid” (more capable of living out the theological virtue of hope!) and thus approach our neighbours with greater openness and awareness. In this vision, media’s vocation of speaking truth makes possible charitable engagement with our fellow citizens. What a powerful vocation, so central to a functioning and loving society.
But we face a unique challenge these days: so many different “media” sources, many ideological, many of which reject the full dignity of their neighbours, many of which obscure the truth and instead promote distortions and dehumanization, many of which speak without accountability or reasonable norms, promote fear, and in turn harm awareness of and authentic connection to our neighbours. We face a real challenge when media moves away from their core vocation. Social disunity and damage results.
Matthew: Truth is a central theme for Pope Francis, as it has been for many popes before him, and for the founders of virtually all democracies. The importance of truth bobs up many times in his plea for dialogue in Fratelli tutti:
Some people attempt to flee from reality, taking refuge in their own little world; others react to it with destructive violence. Yet “between selfish indifference and violent protest there is always another possible option: that of dialogue. Dialogue between generations; dialogue among our people, for we are that people; readiness to give and receive, while remaining open to the truth. A country flourishes when constructive dialogue occurs between its many rich cultural components…
Dialogue is often confused with something quite different: the feverish exchange of opinions on social networks, frequently based on media information that is not always reliable. These exchanges are merely parallel monologues… Indeed, the media’s noisy potpourri of facts and opinions is often an obstacle to dialogue, since it lets everyone cling stubbornly to his or her own ideas, interests and choices, with the excuse that everyone else is wrong. It becomes easier to discredit and insult opponents from the outset than to open a respectful dialogue aimed at achieving agreement on a deeper level. Worse, this kind of language, usually drawn from media coverage of political campaigns, has become so widespread as to be part of daily conversation. Discussion is often manipulated by powerful special interests that seek to tilt public opinion unfairly in their favour.
Lack of dialogue means that in these individual sectors people are concerned not for the common good, but for the benefits of power or, at best, for ways to impose their own ideas…
The heroes of the future will be those who can break with this unhealthy mindset and determine respectfully to promote truthfulness, aside from personal interest. God willing, such heroes are quietly emerging, even now, in the midst of our society. (Fratelli tutti 199-201)
CST VALUES: CHARITABLE LOVE AND JUSTICE
Brendan: This is a great example of how the principles of CST must be viewed as an integral whole for them to be sensibly applied in our common life. In the Pope’s vision, rooted in Catholic social teaching, there cannot be a just and charitable society without truth, without a media that promotes clarity and awareness of neighbour. I think that’s a powerful indication of the integrality of Catholic social teaching—that one value, principle or virtue cannot be set aside as unnecessary. The whole is the healthy society. Isolated from one another, they become ideologies.
Matthew: I think the Pope is agreeing with you in paragraph 207 of Fratelli tutti: Is it possible to be concerned for truth, to seek the truth that responds to life’s deepest meaning? What is law without the conviction, born of age-old reflection and great wisdom, that each human being is sacred and inviolable? If society is to have a future, it must respect the truth of our human dignity and submit to that truth. Murder is not wrong simply because it is socially unacceptable and punished by law, but because of a deeper conviction. This is a non-negotiable truth attained by the use of reason and accepted in conscience. A society is noble and decent not least for its support of the pursuit of truth and its adherence to the most basic of truths.
CST PERMANENT PRINCIPLES: SUBSIDIARITY AND SOLIDARITY
Brendan: The Pope in his tip on the vocation of journalists to “wear out the soles of their shoes” by leaving the newsroom, exposing themselves to the city, encountering their neighbours, allowing themselves to be wounded and touched by their stories and experiences, to me does demonstrates how subsidiarity plays into the vocation of media. So much of media today is dominated by what we might call the politics of the aggregate: polling about who or what “the people” in the aggregate support by measuring thousands of responses, looking at Twitter or social media as a source for the experiences of “real people”, staying in newsrooms and interacting and seeking the opinions of only a small few, seeking academic expertise and policy expertise (which is important!) while eschewing the expertise of those living with the experiences of the issues we face as a society. This willingness to walk in the dirt of common life, for a journalist, is a vision of subsidiarity. And naturally, that subsidiarity results in a greater solidarity with the wider community, and again, a journalistic approach that provides greater clarity of the real experiences and real concerns of our neighbours, instead of a journalism that obscures.
Matthew: That’s a great point, one which would not have occurred to me. Applying such practices on our own part, in organized and integral fashion, might help to address an unfortunate combination of related issues, born of social media: the replacement of responsible, organized networks of individual reporters who shared factual descriptions of news stories through syndicates, so that by reporting on local events through syndicate channels, a broader range of news might be shared by everyone, and editorially commented on, in distinct news items, by individuals designated as having a qualifying degree of wisdom. As an alternative to the posting of ill-founded posting of individual mixtures of truth and opinion (too often dominated by the latter), with no attempt at responsible organization or rigour, would it be possible, by applying principles of subsidiarity to ourselves, and modifying our personal lifestyles a bit, we might attempt to band together in an organized fashion and share truthful, balanced, and appropriately labelled news and editorial opinion?
CHRISTIAN VIRTUE: HUMILITY
Brendan: The Pope highlights the need for journalists not to make themselves the star of the story. Yet we live in a time of celebrity journalism. Particular journalists or commentators build platforms for themselves, on the weight of their tone, style, ideological preconceptions, or aggressive approaches. People follow these particular commentators, elevating their insights above all others. This is part of the challenge of bubble culture: when journalists elevate themselves as “brands” above stories, above elevating the experiences of others, we are left by nature with a more divisive, less clear, less humanizing media. This is especially true as traditional media becomes less sustainably profitable, and more journalists become freelancers, building their own platforms on YouTube, social media, Substack, etc. This is a serious challenge we have to consider.
POINTS TO PONDER:
How do we encourage “celebrity journalists” to engage in real dialogue (not just debate!) with each other—breaking out of ideological siloes—but also with the experiences of those whose human dignity and lived injustices might persuade them towards more humane approaches? Is there anything we, personally, can do?
How do we educate young journalists and journalism students in a culture of “wearing out their shoes,” instead of depending so much on social media culture and commentary as today’s generation of journalists often do?
The Pope’s advice to journalists not to treat the church as a political organization, with a right-wing and a left-wing, is so important. Often secular—and Catholic!—media portray the different charisms and initiatives of the church’s evangelical witness as along a traditional political spectrum. One or the other Catholic or organization is a “liberal” Catholic or a “conservative” Catholic. How are these labels—entirely absorbed from the culture, and not rooted in a real theologically grounded understanding of the nature of the church and her mission—harmful to our unity, and to the clarity the Pope speaks of and awareness of our neighbours? How do we harbour in our own hearts these views? How do they prevent us from engaging more fully in the Church’s mission? If we adopt a practice of considering each of the principles, values, and virtues of our Church’s teachings as we reflect on current events and especially news items, as a regular discipline, might it help us to better ground ourselves in those teachings, and grow as Catholic disciples of Christ?
At a time when truth is so obscured because of ideology, lack of clarity, divisive media, a sinful desire to have our own ideas affirmed rather than challenged by the experiences of others, a rejection of Church teachings, etc, how do we re-center truth back into our understanding of what it means to build a charitable and just society?
How do we encourage media organizations that obscure truth and have lost sight of their vocation to reorient themselves back towards their critical role? How do we encourage media organizations that have already devoted themselves to balanced, truthful, and responsible reporting practices?
Co-sponsored by the Society of Catholic Scientists (https://www.catholicscientists.org/) Professor Christopher Thompson—professor of moral theology at the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity—joined us to explore his idea of Green Thomism, which “seeks to integrate the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas with the questions of environmental stewardship, sustainability, and awareness… [and] interprets the signs of the times to indicate the need for a renewal of some of the most basic principles of Thomistic thought: the goodness of created things, the purposive structure of created being, the inescapable embodied character of human existence, the capacity of reason to discern an order of creation which is to be respected, the contemplative nature of human happiness… All of these claims are rooted in St. Thomas’ vision of creation, the human person, and God; each of them has the capacity to enliven the best of what is happening in the ever-growing movement of environmental concern.”
We discussed:
Bringing our Church’s philosophical and theological tradition into environmental thinking;
The critical role of contact with nature in our spiritual lives;
Confidence in the natural world; and,
Building a relationship with the natural world informed by the immense Creation wisdom of our Catholic faith, and how such a relationship differs from a technocratic or transhumanist vision.
MEET OUR GUEST
Christopher Thompson is a professor of moral theology at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity where he also serves as the Academic Dean since 2006. He has written and lectured extensively on the subject of integral ecology, its place in the moral imagination and its implications for a theological appropriation of creation and the dignity of the human person. He also serves as a team mentor and formator on behalf of Catholic Rural Life, a national organization dedicated to the formation of rural pastoral leaders through professional and spiritual development. His book, The Joyful Mystery: Field Notes Toward a Green Thomism, (2017) outlines what he describes as a Green Thomism, the integration of ecological attitudes and the spiritual tradition inspired by the medieval saint, Thomas Aquinas. He has written and lectured extensively on such themes in the United States and around the world. He is one of the principal drafters of The Vocation of the Agricultural Leader, an international collaboration including global agricultural communities and the Vatican.
In Laudato si’, Pope Francis calls us to ecological conversion, and writes that “living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue.” Watch our conversation with Sister Damien Marie Savino, a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College, as we explore:
This call to ecological conversion and its meaning;
The Catholic idea of integral human ecology, and its synthesis with the health, environmental and ecological sciences; and,
The way forward for integrating care for God’s creation into our daily practices of discipleship.
MEET OUR GUEST
Sister Damien Marie Savino, FSE, Ph.D., is a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and currently serves as the Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this position she oversees the Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography and Environmental Studies departments and the college’s Center for Sustainability. Sister Damien Marie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biogeography from McGill University, her Master of Science degree in Soil and Plant Science from University of Connecticut, her Master of Arts degree in Theology from The Catholic University of America and her Ph.D. degree in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from The Catholic University of America. She has lectured and written widely on Laudato Si’ and integral ecology, as well as on themes related to ecological restoration and resilience theory, ecological health, ecology and theology, and science and faith.
LINKS TO FURTHER VIEWING AND READING
The Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia on Religion & Science: https://inters.org/
Christian Imperatives for Environmental Care, The Grand Dialogue in Science and Religion, Kaufman Interfaith Institute, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, 2021: https://www.gvsu.edu/interfaith/grand-dialogue-8.htm
Dismantling Environmental Racism: Promising Tools in theLaudato Si’ Toolbox, The Catholic Information Center, Grand Rapids, MI, 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzCzGKK7f2s
Evangelizing through Land-Based Experience and Dialogue with Science, McGrath Institute for Church Life, University of Notre Dame, 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4e_wd7-EEU
Savino, Sister Damien Marie (2021, in press). “Evangelizing through Land-Based Experiences and Dialogue with Science.” In John Cavadini and Donald Wallenfang, eds. Global Perspectives on the New Evangelization, Volume 3. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications.
Savino, Sister Damien Marie (2021, in press). “No Such Thing as Catholic Chemistry? The Catholic Difference in Teaching Science,” Review for Religious, Special issue on Science and Religion.
Savino, Sister Damien Marie and Clarage, James (2021). Reconnecting Catholicism with the Sciences: A Model for Teaching Science and Religion Core Texts. In Bridging Divides, Crossing Borders, Community Building: The Human Voice in Core Texts and the Liberal Arts, Selected Papers from the 23rd Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses (ACTC), Dallas, April 20-23, 2017, eds., Tuan Hoang and Daniel Nuckols (ACTC Publications, ACTC Liberal Arts Institute).
Clarage, James, and Savino, Sister Damien Marie (2021). Teaching the Big Bang and Cosmological Education in the Core. In Bridging Divides, Crossing Borders, Community Building: The Human Voice in Core Texts and the Liberal Arts, Selected Papers from the 23rd Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses (ACTC), Dallas, April 20-23, 2017, eds., Tuan Hoang and Daniel Nuckols (ACTC Publications, ACTC Liberal Arts Institute).
Savino, Sister Damien Marie (2018). Proposing an Examen for Living the Ecology of Daily Life and Building a Culture of Care. The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy. Vol. 34, No. 1. Special issue on Laudato Si’.
“Disputatio on the Distinction between the Human Person and Other Animals: The Human Person as Gardener.” Paper presented at Expanded Reason Congress in Rome, co-sponsored by the Benedict XVI Foundation and the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, European University of Rome, September 24 -26, 2018.
Savino, S. D. M. and Hittinger, J. P. (2016). Loss of Creation and its Recovery Through Aquinas and Bonaventure. New Blackfriars, 97: 5–21. doi:10.1111/nbfr.12161
Savino, Sister Damien Marie (2015). Facilitating Social-Ecological Transformation of a Vacant Lot on an Urban Campus: the Houston-Congolese Connection. Cities and the Environment (CATE): Vol. 8: Iss. 2, Article 4. Available at: http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cate/vol8/iss2/4
Savino, Sister Damien Marie (2015). Nature, Soil, and God: Soils and the ‘Grammar of Nature.’ In Peter Casarella, ed., Jesus Christ: The New Face of Social Progress (pp 311-323). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Savino, FSE, Sister Damien Marie (2009). Atheistic Science: The Only Option? Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture,12(4), 56-73.
On September 20, the 2021 federal election ended and Canadians chose their next government. Many have said that the election changed little in Canada. That this Parliament doesn’t look much different from the last one. That may be true in many ways, but for us here at Catholic Conscience, this election was a great joy. It marked our fourth Catholic Action campaign: sharing resources to share with you more about Catholic social teaching, helping you form your conscience, discern your vote through the lens of your faith, and working to increase Catholic voter turnout across our community.
We’re happy to share that over 10,000 Canadians connected with us during this election. They read our party platform comparison tool. They watched our virtual all-parties forum, where Catholic representatives from the major parties shared their vision for Canada in the context of our shared faith. They attended our webinars or other events, organized in partnership with Catholic communities across Canada. They prayed with us during our nine-day rosary novena for the people of Canada. This was by far the highest engagement we have experienced thus far during an election.
We write today to share our gratitude with you for your participation in this campaign. Whether you read our resources, attended our events, or watched our videos, we hope you found them helpful as you discerned your own conscience and voted with a Catholic heart and hope for Canada’s future. Thank you as well to the many parishes, dioceses, and Catholic organizations who shared our resources with their parishioners and supporters. Watching thousands of Catholics participate in this campaign in every part of Canada fills us with joy, that the People of God in our country continue to think about their citizenship as Catholics, to vote with a Catholic conscience, and to love and serve their neighbours in this critical way.
We once again find ourselves with a minority government, meaning another federal election could come at any time. As well, a provincial election in Ontario is coming next year. We are always looking for new ways to improve and creatively grow our election program. If you have any ideas, thoughts, or questions, please email us at info@catholicconscience.org.
God bless you, and God bless our country. Please continue to pray for our elected officials, our leaders, the many candidates who participated in this election, and for our government: that they may make decisions for the common good and human dignity of all Canadians.
As always, we hope you enjoy this newsletter and pray that it inspires your Catholic conscience as we continue to journey together as disciples in this wonderful country of ours.
Your friends, Matt & Brendan
Upcoming Events
THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, JOIN OUR WEBINAR ON ECOLOGICAL CONVERSION WITH SISTER DAMIEN MARIE SAVINO—PART OF OUR BEAUTY OF CREATION SERIES
In Laudato si’, Pope Francis calls us to ecological conversion, and writes that “living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue.” Join us in conversation with Sister Damien Marie Savino, a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College, as we explore:
This call to ecological conversion and its meaning;
The Catholic idea of integral human ecology, and its synthesis with the health, environmental and ecological sciences; and,
The way forward for integrating care for God’s creation into our daily practices of discipleship.
We will be led in this exploration by an extraordinary apostle living out her vocation as both a religious and an expert at the crossroads of theology and science.
MEET OUR GUEST
Sister Damien Marie Savino, FSE, Ph.D., is a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and currently serves as the Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this position she oversees the Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography and Environmental Studies departments and the college’s Center for Sustainability. Sister Damien Marie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biogeography from McGill University, her Master of Science degree in Soil and Plant Science from University of Connecticut, her Master of Arts degree in Theology from The Catholic University of America and her Ph.D. degree in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from The Catholic University of America. She has lectured and written widely on Laudato Si’ and integral ecology, as well as on themes related to ecological restoration and resilience theory, ecological health, ecology and theology, and science and faith.
THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF CANADA APOLOGIZE TO THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THIS LAND
Gathered in Plenary late last month, the Catholic bishops of Canada collectively issued an apology to Canadian Indigenous peoples in acknowledgment of the suffering caused by residential schools run by Catholic institutions.
Having heard the requests to engage Pope Francis in this reconciliation process, a delegation of Indigenous survivors, Elders/knowledge keepers, and youth will meet with the Holy Father in Rome in December 2021. Pope Francis will encounter and listen to the Indigenous participants, so as to discern how he can support our common desire to renew relationships and walk together along the path of hope in the coming years. We pledge to work with the Holy See and our Indigenous partners on the possibility of a pastoral visit by the Pope to Canada as part of this healing journey.
We commit ourselves to continue accompanying you, the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples of this land. Standing in respect of your resiliency, strength and wisdom, we look forward to listening to and learning from you as we walk in solidarity.
In addition to the apology, the Canadian bishops also announced a new $30 million financial commitment over five years for Reconciliation initiatives and meaningful projects across the country.
Bishop William McGrattan, Vice President of the CCCB, articulated the importance of working together with Indigenous Peoples on local goals, timing, and distribution of funds. “The Bishops of Canada have been guided by the principle that we should not speak about Indigenous People without speaking with them. To that end, the ongoing conversations with local leadership will be instrumental in discerning the programs that are most deserving of support. There is no single step that can eliminate the pain felt by residential school survivors, but by listening, seeking relationships, and working collaboratively where we are able, we hope to learn how to walk together in a new path of hope.”
POPE FRANCIS, VIRGIL, AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY: AMERICA MAGAZINE INTERVIEWS FORMER BANK OF CANADA GOVERNOR ON BUILDING A MORE HUMANE ECONOMY
America Magazine interviewed former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney on his new book, Value(s): Building a Better World for All, his thesis on the need to build a humane economy that properly stewards resources for the future, and how Pope Francis inspired his thinking:
Value(s) may be the first book from a former central banker that not only calls for an entire re-evaluation of the underpinnings of market forces, but cites a metaphor used by Pope Francis as a central inspiration. “I was at a meeting that the Vatican had with a wide range of people about the market economy and the social market economy,” Mr. Carney said in an interview with America. “It was around the time of the Argentina-Germany World Cup match in 2014, and the pope came into a lunch we were having and surprised us all.”
The pope’s lesson, as Carney relates it in Value(s), was relatively straightforward: Wine, which was served with their meal, is many things and enlivens the senses. But grappa, which was served at the end of the meal, is but one thing: alcohol distilled. Drawing on this theme, Pope Francis likened humanity in its diversity and richness to wine, and the marketplace to grappa—humanity distilled. The job of those present, the pope said, was to turn grappa back into wine, the market back into humanity. “What I took from his parable was the question: To what extent can you turn the market back into humanity? And what are the values over time that preserve the best of the market but also more broadly serve society?” Mr. Carney said.
With over 500 pages, the book meticulously lays out Carney’s argument that the market is not fundamentally amoral but that there are existential threats that will require broad cooperation across markets, governments and societies to meet the pope’s challenge. Mr. Carney’s writing, while not explicitly invoking Pope Pius XI’s encyclical “Quadragesimo Anno,” adheres closely to the notion laid out by Pius XI that both libertarianism and collectivism are the “twin rocks of shipwreck,” the Scylla and Charybdis between which we must chart a safe passage.
HAPPY 170TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH IN TORONTO
At Catholic Conscience, we are blessed to work with so many individuals whose lives have been transformed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto. Indeed, two of our closest collaborators and friends—Vickie McNally, one of our board directors, and Sabrina Chiefari—work for the Sisters of St. Joseph, and we have worked with others in the world of the Sisters these past years. Even simply as individuals living in Toronto, our lives have been touched by the Sisters in ways we can’t even imagine. So many of the Sisters’ ministries over the years are now well-known and core Toronto institutions, like St. Michael’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. Michael’s Homes, and the Daily Bread Food Bank.
That’s why there are so many reasons to celebrate the 170th anniversary of the Sisters’ presence here in Toronto. We want to share in this celebration, by congratulating the Sisters and offering our gratitude for their charism and impact in our city. To mark the occasion, we encourage you to consider making a donation to one of the charities above or learn more about the Sisters and their legacy by clicking the links below.
Thank you Sisters, and we look forward to seeing where the Spirit leads your charism in the years to come!
From The Holy Father
PARTICIPATE IN OUR CHURCH’S SYNOD ON SYNODALITY
Usually, a Synod of Bishops is a one-month affair where bishops gather to discuss and discern the direction of the Holy Spirit on a particular topic of importance to the Church, so that the entire Church might move in one direction together. But during his ministry as our Holy Father, Pope Francis has emphasized synodality as the mode of being and discipleship for all the People of God. Those principles are coming to life with the Synod on Synodality, a two-year synodal process where all are invited to participate. The aim is to put synodality into practice among all the faithful, and throughout the Church.
The synodal process begins this October with conversations, consultations, and input at the local diocesan level. Catholic faithful will be invited to participate in this process—keep an eye out for how your diocese will be engaging the faithful in conversation, and please participate and contribute so the fruits of this process may benefit the whole Church!
WATCH THE FIRST EPISODE OF OUR BEAUTY OF CREATION SERIES: ON HUMAN UNIQUENESS WITH PROFESSOR CHRISTOPHER BAGLOW
If you missed the live webinar, you can now watch on YouTube the opening discussion in our series on faith and science, called The Beauty of Creation, where we’ll be engaging with leading scientists, philosophers and theologians. We hope to learn from them as we look for new syntheses that build upon and deepen our understanding of the world from the perspectives of science and faith, which are mutually enriching. This first conversation is with Professor Christopher Baglow on the uniqueness of the human person as seen through science and our Catholic faith.
Chris Baglow, P.h.D., is Professor of the Practice in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and the Director of the Science and Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, where he creates and directs programming that assists Catholic leaders in bringing the Catholic faith and modern science into dialogue for the sake of the New Evangelization.
Every session of the Second Vatican Council began with the prayer Adsumus Sancte Spiritus, the first word of the Latin original meaning, “We stand before You, Holy Spirit,” which has been historically used at Councils, Synods and other Church gatherings. As the Holy Father calls all of us to participate in the synodal process in the lead-up to the Synod on synodality in 2023, this prayer invites the Holy Spirit to operate within us so that we may be a community and a people of grace.
We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder. Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.
The big day is almost here. Monday, September 20th: Election Day in Canada. This will mark the end of our fourth Catholic Action campaign, offering formation and discernment tools for Catholic voters. First, let’s begin with the most critical message of this newsletter: please vote this Monday! If you have any questions about where your polling station is, what ID you need, or other logistical questions, visit www.elections.ca for everything you need.
As you exercise your calling to vote prayerfully and thoughtfully with a well-formed conscience, we are praying for all of you, and we ask you to keep us in your prayers as well. More importantly, please pray for your fellow Canadians. Pray that all those voting on Monday will do so with the common good of all at heart. Pray that all of those seeking elected office—whether they are elected or not—will also seek that same common good and continue putting their lives at the radical service and love of others. Pray that the party elected to form government, and the leaders elected to serve us, will make the best decisions for all Canadians, for the human dignity of all, and will be guided by the Holy Spirit to true, political love. If you would like to join us in these prayers, the final day of our nine-day rosary novena for the people of Canada is happening this Monday morning. We will pray a rosary together and entrust voters to Mary and Saint Joseph. We welcome you your participation.
We hope we have been helpful to you, your parishes, and your dioceses in supporting Catholic voting discernment and turnout in this election. Please, if you have any feedback, ideas, comments, or concerns, we always welcome your thoughts and collaboration. This work will only continue to improve if Catholics like you—passionate about bringing Gospel values into the public square—help light our way forward.
God bless you and may we all have a blessed Election Day—as well as a blessed future for this country, for our people, whom we all so deeply love.
Sincerely, Matthew Marquardt & Brendan Steven
Upcoming Events
JOIN THE FINAL SESSION OF OUR NINE-DAY ROSARY NOVENA FOR THE PEOPLE OF CANADA, THIS MONDAY AT 9:00 AM EDT
During the 2021 federal election, it has been our great joy to host a nine-day rosary novena for the people of Canada. For eight days, we’ve prayed a rosary with brothers and sisters in Christ for Canadian voters as we collectively discern who will serve as our next federal government.
Our final rosary is being prayed over Zoom this Monday, September 20 at 9:00 AM EDT. We invite you to join us as we entrust Canadians to Mary, Seat of Wisdom and Queen of Heaven, and St. Joseph, Patron of Canada, on the day we go to the polls to vote.
Please join us as we pray for our people, our country, and our leaders during this important moment for the future of Canada.
ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, JOIN OUR WEBINAR ON ECOLOGICAL CONVERSION WITH SISTER DAMIEN MARIE SAVINO—PART OF OUR BEAUTY OF CREATION SERIES
In Laudato si’, Pope Francis calls us to ecological conversion, and writes that “living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue.” Join us in conversation with Sister Damien Marie Savino, a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College, as we explore:
This call to ecological conversion and its meaning;
The Catholic idea of integral human ecology, and its synthesis with the health, environmental and ecological sciences; and,
The way forward for integrating care for God’s creation into our daily practices of discipleship.
We will be led in this exploration by an extraordinary apostle living out her vocation as both a religious and an expert at the crossroads of theology and science.
MEET OUR GUEST
Sister Damien Marie Savino, FSE, Ph.D., is a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and currently serves as the Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this position she oversees the Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography and Environmental Studies departments and the college’s Center for Sustainability. Sister Damien Marie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biogeography from McGill University, her Master of Science degree in Soil and Plant Science from University of Connecticut, her Master of Arts degree in Theology from The Catholic University of America and her Ph.D. degree in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from The Catholic University of America. She has lectured and written widely on Laudato Si’ and integral ecology, as well as on themes related to ecological restoration and resilience theory, ecological health, ecology and theology, and science and faith.
VOTE WITH A CATHOLIC CONSCIENCE: READ OUR CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING-BASED PARTY PLATFORM COMPARISON
As Catholics, we are called to discern our vote, participate in the political process, and engage in charitable dialogue with others in our community prayerfully and thoughtfully. Our Catholic party platform comparison will empower you to look at each of the political party’s policy commitments through the lens of Catholic social teaching.
In accordance with our duty to participate, this page offers a summary of issues relevant to Canada’s next federal election, setting Catholic teachings side-by-side with the policy positions of the parties, using the parties’ own words. This summary is intended to help you in deciding your vote, whether you are Catholic or simply a good person interested in a better world.
Our party platform comparison looks at the parties’ key policy proposals from the perspective of:
CATHOLIC CONSCIENCE PRESENTS: THE VIRTUAL ALL-PARTIES FORUM FOR THE 2021 FEDERAL ELECTION DEEPER CONVERSATIONS: LEARNING FROM ONE ANOTHER
As we approach election day in Canada this coming Monday, September 20, we are excited to share with you a virtual forum where Catholic representatives from Canada’s major parties offered their perspectives on issues facing our country through the lens of Gospel values and Catholic social teaching.
We want to express gratitude to each of our representatives for joining us and answering our questions: Filomena Tassi, the Liberal candidate in the Ontario riding of Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas; Garnett Genuis, the Conservative candidate in the Alberta riding of Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan; and Norm Di Pasquale, the NDP candidate for the Ontario riding of Spadina—Fort York. Each candidate took care in thoughtfully reflecting on their party’s platform through the lens of their Catholic faith. We appreciate them speaking directly to Catholic voters in this election by participating in this forum.
Below you can watch the full forum, where these candidates offer their party’s vision and policy ideas related to the common good, life and dignity of the human person, Reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous peoples, building an economy at the service of people, care for God’s creation, rights, responsibilities, and participation in society, solidarity, and Canadian culture. Please share this forum with your family, friends, and parishioners! Thank you. We hope you enjoy, and that this forum aids your prayerful discernment of conscience as you prepare to vote.
This Monday, there’s one way we are all called to love and serve our neighbours—by voting in the federal election.
Make a plan to vote. It’s simple. Consider:
Where your polling station is;
How you will travel there;
What time you will travel there;
What ID you will need to vote; and,
Of course, if you haven’t decided yet, who you will vote for!
To answer those first five points, visit the Elections Canada website. There you can input your postal code and find out where your polling station is. You’ll also find a list of all the ID you can use to vote.
For help deciding your vote, you can visit the Catholic Conscience website. There you’ll find our party platform comparison tool, where you’ll see side-by-side the parties’ key policies across a range of issues through the lens of Catholic social teaching.
We usually reserve this space for news or comment from our Holy Father, but with Election Day on Monday, we instead wanted to share the words of 18-year old Kathleena Henricus—a first-time Catholic voter—and her call to action for all young people to vote in this election.
My hope for our the 44th Canadian Parliament is the amplification of Indigenous voices, the devising of a serious plan to bring back our economy, a focus on reducing our greenhouse-gas emissions and reversing climate change, a commitment to increase public-health funding and overall enhancement of safety, mental health and legal access systems. It sounds like a big ask, and it is, but it is exactly what we need to expect when the House of Commons reconvenes.
And it is up to us, particularly youth. So many of us in Generation Z are being empowered with the ability to participate in the democratic process in a new, impactful way — and it is important to participate.
It is often a trope, among news anchors and teachers, that young people don’t vote, don’t engage, don’t take part.
Our aim, if we could only choose one, should be to turn that stereotype completely on its head. Participate in the greatest generational voter turnout this country has ever seen — in spite of the pandemic, the lack of on-campus voting, the exhaustion of the past two years.
I hope all Canadians vote on Sept. 20. And I hope all vote for kindness and respect, amplification of the underrepresented and overall progress and growth. I hope your choice will help manifest the Canada you want to see.
TALKING ABOUT THE 2021 FEDERAL ELECTION AND CATHOLIC POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE THINKING FAITH PODCAST
Brendan joined Deacon Eric Gurash and Dr. Brett Salkeld, the hosts of the Archdiocese of Regina’s Thinking Faith podcast, to take a closer look at the 2021 federal election from a Catholic perspective.
In episode one, they discussed the need for deep, prayerful discernment on the part of Catholic voters in this election.
“We have in front of us a pretty wide range of policy options that have been placed on the table by the different party leaders. And so, I think this places a lot of focus on us as voters to do our research and to prayerfully discern and to think deeply…”
In episode two, they discussed Catholic social teaching and Catholic political engagement.
“I want more Catholics to learn more about Catholic Social Teaching, and…how blown away you will be about the consequences of Christ’s love for all his people, and the way that manifests in how the Church teaches how we live in community with one another.”
With Election Day this Monday, September 20, we once again want to share this beautiful prayer, written by Regina’s Archbishop Donald Bolen, for entrusting your vote and the votes of all Canadians to the Holy Spirit.
God bless you as you vote this Monday—we are praying for you, for all the candidates, and for whoever will serve in the next government of Canada. May we all serve the common good and the dignity of our neighbours!
Lord, father of our human family, Your son Jesus taught us in the parable of the good Samaritan that each of us is called to care for our brothers and sisters without concern for our differences, or what divides us. Pour your spirit out upon each and every one of us. Give us, and all involved in the forthcoming election,
A spirit of humility to acknowledge our failures, A spirit of gratitude for each of the gifts you have given us, A spirit of wisdom, to guide our actions in accordance with your teaching, A spirit of fraternity, so that we might have concern for the most vulnerable, And a spirit of love, so that we might abide even more fully in You.
O God, Trinity of love, from the profound communion of your divine life grant each and every one of us a deeper sense of unity. Give to us a desire to sacrifice ourselves for our brothers and sisters. Help us to live like your family did, with simplicity in Nazareth, and as the early Christian community did, whose charity has spread throughout the world.
O Good Shepherd, Christ the King, you are our Guide. Continue to guide us then to your will in this, and in every moment of our lives.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. St Joseph, pray for us. St Joan of Arc, pray for us. San Juan Diego, pray for us. St Keteri Tekakwitha, pray for us. Ste. Marguerite Bourgeoys, pray for us. St André Bessette, pray for us. St Vincent de Paul, pray for us. Amen.
This is the opening discussion in our series on Faith & Science, called ‘The Beauty of Creation’, where we’ll be engaging with leading scientists, philosophers and theologians. We hope to learn from them as we look for new syntheses that build upon and deepen our understanding of the world from the perspectives of science and faith, which are mutually enriching.
PROFESSOR CHRISTOPHER BAGLOW
Chris Baglow, P.h.D., is Professor of the Practice in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and the Director of the Science and Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, where he creates and directs programming that assists Catholic leaders in bringing the Catholic faith and modern science into dialogue for the sake of the New Evangelization. He has led programs of academic integration at two Catholic high schools, including the STREAM™ Program at St. Mary’s Dominican H.S. in New Orleans, LA. In 2011-2014 Baglow directed the Templeton-funded Steno Learning Program in Faith and Science for Catholic Secondary Educators (SLP), a week-long seminar experience for Catholic science and religion teachers. Baglow is the author of Faith, Science and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge, 2nd ed.(Midwest Theological Forum, 2019). Professor Baglow is a member of the executive board of the Society of Catholic Scientists and serves as chair of its Theological Advisory Board.
The Catholic Virtual All-Parties' Forum For The 2021 Federal Election
As we approach election day in Canada this coming Monday, September 20, we are excited to share with you a virtual forum where Catholic representatives from Canada's major parties offered their perspectives on issues facing our country through the lens of Gospel values and Catholic social teaching.
We want to express gratitude to each of our representatives for joining us and answering Catholics' questions: Filomena Tassi, the Liberal candidate in the Ontario riding of Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas; Garnett Genuis, the Conservative candidate in the Alberta riding of Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan; and Norm Di Pasquale, NDP Candidate for Spadina—Fort York in Ontario. Each candidate took care in thoughtfully reflecting on their party's platform through the lens of their Catholic faith. We appreciate them speaking directly to Catholic voters in this election by participating in this forum.
Below you can watch the full forum, where these candidates offer their party's vision and policy ideas related to the common good, life and dignity of the human person, Reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous peoples, building an economy at the service of people, care for God's creation, rights, responsibilities, and participation in society, solidarity, and Canadian culture.
Please share this forum with your family, friends, and parishioners! Thank you. We hope you enjoy, and that this forum aids your prayerful discernment of conscience as you prepare to vote.
We mentioned last month speculation that there would be a federal election in late summer or early fall. The speculation turned out to be true! As you undoubtably are aware, a federal election will be held on September 20, and the campaign has begun.
This special edition of the Catholic Commons is dedicated to our Catholic Action campaign. Catholic Action is our ongoing initiative to educate Catholic voters about Catholic social teaching, empowering them to discern their own vote through the lens of that teaching, and to encouraging greater Catholic voter turnout. Throughout this newsletter you’ll find more information about the several activities we are undertaking to support Catholic voters in this federal election. We learned recently through the B.C. Catholic that in past elections the number of practising Catholics who voted has been lower than the number of voters who don’t attend church. The purpose of our Catholic Action campaign is to change that, and to empower Catholic voters to form their consciences well for the common good of all our neighbours.
We wrote an op-ed for the B.C. Catholic that shares a broad outline of a Catholic approach to discerning your vote, and some points to ponder for Catholic voters in this election. Here is the full text of the op-ed for your consideration.
A federal election has been called for Sept. 20, two years before the nominal deadline. In the current circumstances, this places a heavy burden on Canadian voters, particularly for those who hope to make wise and well–formed choices.
There is much to consider, even compared to ‘normal’ elections: we continue making our way through a dangerous pandemic, with important decisions to be made about the form and the timing of efforts to restore, and hopefully improve, our national economy.
One question voters might consider is: in such circumstances, is it wise or in the best interests of Canadian society – including particularly the poorest and most vulnerable – to force an early election on such a short timeline?
In any case, voters – and particularly Catholics – should always be prepared. We have a moral obligation to stay engaged throughout the election cycle, so that when the time comes, we are ready to discern our votes prayerfully and independently for the good of all.
As Pope Benedict XVI explained, it’s not up to the Church to provide specific solutions. Rather, the Church, through the votes of individual Catholics, supports ranges of solutions that fairly comply with the Church’s teachings. It’s up to each of us to exercise our “free and responsible judgment.” We are called to vote prayerfully and independently.
Catholic social teaching – our faith’s vision for life in society – is the best tool for discerning our votes as Catholics. To “vote like a Catholic,” Catholic Conscience proposes a four-part process: discernment, discussion, participation, and reflection, or examen.
Discernment: Your vote, being precious, should be firmly grounded in knowledge and truth, based on at least two independent media sources, preferably of differing political perspectives. Importantly, these should include faith-based sources such as our Catholic newspapers. We should learn to apply Catholic social teachings across the full range of issues – from the environment to economics, from social policy to foreign policy, and to exercise prudential judgement in determining which party, in our own view, most comprehensively and effectively addresses these issues. Don’t forget to pray for guidance.
Discussion: Sharing well-formed knowledge is a spiritual work of mercy. Offering our thoughtful, charitable views in conversation with others, and listening respectfully to theirs, is an important way to us discern our votes. Open and respectful dialogue can be a powerful way of considering and testing counterarguments and differing points of view, collectively discerning a fuller picture of the truth and determining more fruitful paths forward for all. To learn more about respectful discussion, consider take a look at our virtual July 21 workshop “Communicating Like a Catholic.”
Participation: Candidates want to meet you, especially during elections. They will come to your door to do it. Take the opportunity to build respectful relationships with those who want to represent you. Raise important issues with them, especially when issues aren’t addressed in their party’s platform. Personal relationships matter, and can endure when they are respectfully forged. And since only one out of 10 Canadians express their views to their politicians, charitable dialogue can have an outsized impact on their own discernment as political leaders.
Examen: Ask yourself, what has political engagement done for your soul? Has it helped you grow in virtue, charity, hope, and faith? In the end, what matters is helping to gather souls to Christ. Examination of your conscience can help ensure that your politics and your Christian witness stay aligned, and that your love of neighbour is nourished.
In Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis appealed for “a renewed appreciation of politics as a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, in as much as it seeks the common good.” Whenever the next election comes, we are called to this high form of charity. We must all, through our prayerful, well-discerned vote, contribute to the common good.
Sincerely, Matthew Marquardt & Brendan Steven
Upcoming Events
ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, JOIN US FOR A WEBINAR ABOUT HOW WE CAN ADVANCE A CATHOLIC SOCIAL VISION IN POLITICS FEATURING JOHN MILLOY
“How did religious faith, particularly the Catholic faith, which has been such a source of strength and comfort to so many Canadians, assume such a negative connotation? Why is anyone associated with public life encouraged to keep a major part of their identity separate from their public work? Why has the wisdom of Canada’s faith communities been prevented from even being discussed in the public square?”
These are some of the questions posed by former Ontario cabinet minister and prime ministerial advisor John Milloy in his new book, Politics and Faith in a Polarized World: A Challenge for Catholics. In it, Milloy brings to bear the full weight of his experience and analysis to one of the most crucial questions for Catholics in Canada today: how do we effectively bring a Catholic social vision into our political engagement—a crucial core of our call to public witness—in a highly-secularized political environment where Catholic perspectives are often denied a place in the public conversation, or, at worst, are treated with outright hostility? Milloy offers ideas for the way forward that will both inspire and challenge Catholics to think differently about how we can bring Pope Francis’ idea of political love to life in Canada today as our country’s single largest religious voting demographic.
In a wide-ranging conversation at the apex of the 2021 federal election, we will discuss the past, present, and future of Catholic political engagement at the federal level, as well as the ongoing election campaign—Catholics’ place in it, and Milloy’s analysis of the state of Canadian politics as we prepare to elect our next federal government.
Catholic Canadians passionate about the future of their country won’t want to miss this timely and relevant conversation with a Catholic civic leader who has served at the senior-most levels of Canadian politics. Participants will also enjoy a discount code for Milloy’s new book, courtesy of its publisher, Novalis.
Join us for this free webinar on Wednesday, September 15th at 7:00 PM EDT. RSVP on Eventbrite for login details.
FOR THE 2021 FEDERAL ELECTION, JOIN OUR VIRTUAL NINE-DAY ROSARY NOVENA FOR THE PEOPLE OF CANADA AS TOGETHER WE ENTRUST CANADIAN VOTERS TO MARY AND ST. JOSEPH
As Catholic Canadians, we are called to “seek the welfare of the city,” in the words of the Book of Jeremiah. We are, after all, citizens of two nations: this earthly country Canada, this place and people we all love, and the heavenly Kingdom of God. Let’s come together to praise the Lord of both these nations and to call on the intercession of the heavenly Kingdom for the needs of our earthly nation.
Join Canadians from coast to coast as we gather for a nine-day rosary novena to pray for the people of Canada, as Canadians each discern their own consciences in preparation to vote for our next government during the 2021 federal election. Voting determines the future of our country, by determining who we entrust with the common good of all Canadians. During this rosary novena, we will pray that all Canadians vote with love of neighbour at heart; with the core principles of Catholic social teaching in mind, including the common good, life and dignity of the human person, community, participation, rights and responsibilities, the preferential option for the poor, subsidiarity, solidarity, care for God’s creation, the dignity of work, and more; and that the Holy Spirit inspire all those running to lead their communities and serve as MPs, that they may live a superhuman oblation of self out of love for their constituents and the future of our country.
NOVENA SCHEDULE 1. Wednesday, August 25 @ 8:00 PM EDT: Pray with us for the people of the North. 2. Sunday, August 29 @ 10 AM EDT: Pray with us for the people of British Columbia. 3. Wednesday, September 1 @ 8:00 PM EDT: Pray with us for the people of Alberta. 4. Saturday, September 4 @ 10 AM EDT: Pray with us for the people of Saskatchewan. 5. Wednesday, September 8 @ 8:00 PM EDT: Pray with us for the people of Manitoba. 6. Sunday, September 12 @ 10 AM EDT: Pray with us for the people of Ontario. 7. Wednesday, September 15 @ 8:00 PM EDT: Pray with us for the people of Quebec. 8. Saturday, September 18 @ 10 AM EDT: Pray with us for the people of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. 9. Monday, September 20 @ 9:00 AM EDT (Election Day): Entrust the voters of Canada to Mary, Seat of Wisdom & Queen of Heaven, and St. Joseph, Patron of Canada.
Part of our commission as disciples of Christ is to love and serve our neighbours, through concrete acts of service—including prayer. Together, let’s pray for the people of Canada during this critical moment for all of us, and entrust our fellow Canadians to Mary, the Seat of Wisdom & Queen of Heaven, and Saint Joseph, the Patron of Canada.
ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, JOIN OUR WEBINAR ON HUMAN UNIQUENESS WITH A LEADING EXPERT ON HOW HUMAN BEINGS IMAGE GOD, THROUGH THE LENS OF SCRIPTURE AND SCIENCE
Many today draw a red line between faith and reason—what Scripture tells us about the world and what science tells us are seen as contradictory, as different ways of knowing. The reality is the opposite: that faith and reason are complements and companions in seeking and discerning the truth. Professor Christopher Baglow has spent his career demonstrating and exploring the relationship between faith and science. He is a leading expert on how we image God. Through the lens of Scripture and science, he explains how we can come to terms with our evolutionary origins and heavenly destiny.
Our conversation with Professor Baglow will focus on the nature of this extraordinary human uniqueness as children of God; demonstrating the deep harmony between the Catholic faith and an evolutionary perspective; the book of Scripture and the book of nature; and what science can tell us about God’s ordered creation, and how we are called to live in and with it.
Please join us on Thursday, September 16 at 7:30 PM EDT for a fascinating conversation that will enlighten and edify your faith.
VOTE WITH A CATHOLIC CONSCIENCE: READ OUR CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING-BASED PARTY PLATFORM COMPARISON
As Catholics, we are called to discern our vote, participate in the political process, and engage in charitable dialogue with others in our community prayerfully and thoughtfully. Our Catholic party platform comparison will empower you to look at each of the political party’s policy commitments through the lens of Catholic social teaching.
In accordance with our duty to participate, this page offers a summary of issues relevant to Canada’s next federal election, setting Catholic teachings side-by-side with the policy positions of the parties, using the parties’ own words. This summary is intended to help you in deciding your vote, whether you are Catholic or simply a good person interested in a better world.
Our party platform comparison looks at the parties’ key policy proposals from the perspective of:
FOR HELP DISCERNING YOUR CONSCIENCE, WATCH VOTE LIKE A CATHOLIC
To help you think more prayerfully and deeply about a Catholic approach to discerning your vote, we hosted a Catholic Civics Workshop webinar in February entitled Vote like a Catholic. In conversation with theologian and author Dr. Brett Salkeld, we discussed some of the truths and myths about Catholic teaching on voting and political participation. Critically, we also discussed a Catholic approach to deciding your vote via discernment, discussion, participation, and examination.
With a federal election coming on September 20, this is a great time to watch our webinar and consider how you will approach discerning your conscience in this election! Click below to watch the video.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO VOTE IN THIS FEDERAL ELECTION: AN FAQ
As part of our Catholic Action campaign, we’re working to ensure Catholic voters have the information they need to vote. You can find everything you need on www.elections.ca.
Did you know you can vote by mail? Click here to learn more and how. This is a great option for those who are nervous about voting in-person given the ongoing pandemic.
Did you know there are four different ways to vote? You can vote on election day, Monday, September 20, at your assigned polling station. Polls will be open for 12 hours. If you can’t vote in-person on election day, you can vote during advance polling days. Vote at your assigned polling station from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on:
If you recently moved, you can still vote. Simply update your address using the Online Voter Registration Service or at any Elections Canada office across Canada by Tuesday, September 14, 6:00 p.m. You can also update your address at your assigned polling station before you vote on advance polling days or on election day.
POPE FRANCIS AND BISHOPS APPEAR IN NEW VACCINE PSA: GETTING VACCINATED IS “AN ACT OF LOVE”
Pope Francis is adding his voice to a campaign to overcome vaccine skepticism, issuing a public service announcement insisting that vaccines are safe, effective and an “act of love.”
In his message, the pope said, “Thanks to God and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19. They grant us the hope of ending the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we work together.”
Getting inoculated “is an act of love” for oneself, family, friends and all people, he said. “Love is also social and political” as these individual “small gestures of personal charity” add up, “overflowing” into something universal that is “capable of transforming and improving societies,” he said.
“Vaccination is a simple but profound way of promoting the common good and caring for each other, especially the most vulnerable,” the pope said.
“I pray to God that everyone may contribute their own small grain of sand, their own small gesture of love; no matter how small, love is always great. Contribute with these small gestures for a better future. God bless you, and thank you,” he said.
WHERE YOU CAN WATCH THE POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS’ DEBATE AND HOW YOU CAN SHARE YOUR CONCERNS WITH THE LEADERS
From Global News:
The official English leaders’ debate, scheduled for Sept. 9 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. EDT, is produced by the Debate Broadcast Group: CBC News, APTN News, CTV News and Global News.
Leaders of the Liberal Party of Canada, Conservative Party of Canada, Green Party of Canada, New Democratic Party and Bloc Québécois have been invited to participate in the debate.
What do you want the main party leaders to talk about? Let us know by answering the questions in this form. Your concerns will help form the questions and direction of the debate.
We had the great honour of working with the dioceses of Saskatchewan during the 2020 Saskatchewan election. During that election, Regina’s Archbishop Donald Bolen wrote this beautiful prayer for voters discerning their consciences for the sake of the common good. We share it now as a prayer close to our hearts, especially to be said during elections.
Lord, father of our human family, Your son Jesus taught us in the parable of the good Samaritan that each of us is called to care for our brothers and sisters without concern for our differences, or what divides us. Pour your spirit out upon each and every one of us. Give us, and all involved in the forthcoming election,
A spirit of humility to acknowledge our failures, A spirit of gratitude for each of the gifts you have given us, A spirit of wisdom, to guide our actions in accordance with your teaching, A spirit of fraternity, so that we might have concern for the most vulnerable, And a spirit of love, so that we might abide even more fully in You.
O God, Trinity of love, from the profound communion of your divine life grant each and every one of us a deeper sense of unity. Give to us a desire to sacrifice ourselves for our brothers and sisters. Help us to live like your family did, with simplicity in Nazareth, and as the early Christian community did, whose charity has spread throughout the world.
O Good Shepherd, Christ the King, you are our Guide. Continue to guide us then to your will in this, and in every moment of our lives.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. St Joseph, pray for us. St Joan of Arc, pray for us. San Juan Diego, pray for us. St Keteri Tekakwitha, pray for us. Ste. Marguerite Bourgeoys, pray for us. St André Bessette, pray for us. St Vincent de Paul, pray for us. Amen.
Exploring the glory and majesty of God’s created world, as revealed through science, natural philosophy, and our Catholic faith.
An introductory panel discussion for our new webinar series on the beauty and integrity of God’s created world.
From August 2021 to February 2022, Catholic Conscience is excited to present a new monthly webinar series called The Beauty of Creation—on the glory and majesty of God’s created world, as revealed through science, natural philosophy, and our Catholic faith.
This video is an introductory panel discussion on the integrity and beauty of creation, and the opportunities and challenges of humanity’s increasing mastery over the natural world.
The conversation will feature:
Geoffrey Woollard Graduate student at the University of British Columbia
Peter Copeland Thinker and writer
Matthew Marquardt Founder & President, Catholic Conscience
Brendan Steven Executive Director, Catholic Conscience
