Canadians march for life

May 9, 2019 CNA Daily News News Briefs 0 Print

Ottawa, Canada, May 9, 2019 / 04:00 pm (CNA).- Pro-life campaigners from across Canada gathered on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill Thursday for the country’s annual National March for Life. Carrying a variety of handmade and pre-printed signs in a variety of languages, pro-life advocates, school groups, families, and clergy turned out to mark the fiftieth year of legal abortion in the country.

Police declined to give a formal estimate of the crowd, but participants told CNA that thousands of marchers were in attendence.

Addressing the crowd at a pre-march rally, Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto referenced the changing nature of the pro-life movement in Canada as new laws have been passed over five decades.

Pointing to the spreading practice of euthanasia across the country, the cardinal said that it was paramount that “people recognize the reality, the profound preciousness of the gift of life from the first moment of conception until natural death.”

“In the past we’ve stressed so much–and rightly so–the first part of that,” the second clause regarding natural death is now more relevant than ever, explained Collins.

“The cold hand of euthanasia is upon our country as well.”

Last year, over 2,600 Canadians received “medical aid in dying,” effectively physician-administered homicide. This total amounts to 1.12 percent of all deaths in 2018.

In Canada, doctors opposed to euthanasia do not have the legal right to refuse such requests, and are subject to losing their jobs if they fail to comply.

“There must be protection for all people,” said Collins. “Not only those in the medical world, but for everyone.”

Other speakers at the event included Archbishop Christian Lepine of Montreal, Archbishop Terrence Prendergrast of Ottawa, and Member of Parliament David Anderson, who were joined by notable American pro-life figures in addressing the rally.

The crowd at the march appeared to contain a vast majority of younger attendees. Catholics were especially well represented, with church groups and the Knights of Columbus all prominently visible. The groups carried signs in French, English, and Spanish.

Two such young attendees, Julia Alphonso and Sarah Fernandes, traveled approximately five hours with a group from their school in Markham, Ontario to attend the National March for Life.

Alphonso told CNA that this was her third time marching, but it was Fernandes’ first.

“Pro-life in general is really important to me,” said Alphonso.

“Life, I believe, begins right from the moment of conception, and that’s really important.” She credited her faith, as well as the concept of natural law as for her convictions, and said that she was “really in support of this pro-life movement.”

Fernandes said that she had been influenced by her sister, who is active in a pro-life group at her college. She agreed with Alphonos that “life begins from conception (…) it should be protected.”

Fernandes said that she believes that while many people her age are pro-choice, their minds could be changed via the effective use of social media.

“Show them what an abortion looks like,” she said, and their position could shift.

Jenna Goldsack, also a first-time attendee of the National March for Life, told CNA that she was moved to the pro-life position after hearing stories from people who have lost children.

“Just knowing what happens through an abortion, I don’t agree with that,” she said. Goldsack told CNA that she thinks many young people like herself are pro-choice by default, and are simply conforming to what society expects of them.

A counter protest of about 50 people chanted throughout the speeches at the pre-march rally.

Abortion has been legal in Canada since 1969. The first-ever National March for Life in Ottawa was held in 1998.

If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.

Related Articles

No Picture
News Briefs

Caracas archdiocese rebukes attack on voters in Venezuela referendum

July 18, 2017 CNA Daily News 0

Caracas, Venezuela, Jul 18, 2017 / 04:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino of Caracas has repudiated Sunday’s attack on a referendum in which the vast majority of participants expressed their opposition to the constituent assembly called by President Maduro.

The July 16 attack was carried out by armed groups in support of the nation’s socialist government.

Venezuela’s government plans to hold a constituent assembly which would have the authority to write a new constitution and to dissolve the country’s legislature, which is controlled by the opposition.

More than 7.6 million people across Venezuela are believed to have voted against the assembly in Sunday’s unofficial referendum, which was organized by the opposition.

The referendum led to violence in several areas across the country.

The Archdiocese of Caracas said the attack with shots fired against those in line to vote is “an unacceptable attack on the people and on Cardinal Urosa.”

After Mass, the cardinal and the priests were told that pro-government groups were harassing those who were participating in the consultation, which was taking place near Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Caracas’ Catia area.

After the shots that forced several hundred people to enter the church and which left one person dead and several injured, “the violent group continued to harass those who took refuge in the church and the the church doors had to be locked to protect them. The attackers prevented those inside from leaving the parish church.”

The news release by the Archdiocese of Caracas noted that “in view of the seriousness of the situation, the cardinal then called a priest to ask for support from the authorities. For his part, the pastor of the church, Fr. Tovar, spoke with some of those belonging to the group that was outside the church to ask them to end the siege of the people who had taken refuge inside the church. He reiterated to them that the parish facilities had not been provided for the consultation of the people. However, nothing came of it.”

The release of those inside the church occurred after the intervention of the authorities of the National Bolivarian Police, who spoke with Cardinal Urosa in order to evacuate those who were in the church with guarantees for their safety.

The statement also “totally repudiates the attack by armed groups against the citizens who were peacefully participating in the consultation of the people on the Constitutional Assembly, as well as subsequent siege of all the people who were in the parish church.”

The Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference posted on Twitter photos of a number of bishops participating in the consultation, including Cardinal Urosa and the conference’s president, Archbishop Diego Padrón Sanchez of Cumana, who told CNA that yesterday’s consultation was “successful with the massive as well as peaceful and democratic participation of the Venezuelan people,” which wants “peaceful as well as constitutional ways to get out of the crisis.”

The archbishop added that the people do not want a reform of the constitution but “a change in the system that is governing us and which is ultimately the cause of all the ills from which the country is suffering.”

“A change of the system, not just one person for others, but a change of the total system which also includes the person.”

Poor economic policies, including strict price controls, coupled with high inflation rates, have resulted in a severe lack of basic necessities in Venezuela, such as toilet paper, milk, flour, diapers and medicines.
Venezuela’s socialist government is widely blamed for the crisis. Since 2003, price controls on some 160 products, including cooking oil, soap and flour, have meant that while they are affordable, they fly off store shelves only to be resold on the black market at much higher rates.

 

[…]

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

All comments posted at Catholic World Report are moderated. While vigorous debate is welcome and encouraged, please note that in the interest of maintaining a civilized and helpful level of discussion, comments containing obscene language or personal attacks—or those that are deemed by the editors to be needlessly combative or inflammatory—will not be published. Thank you.


*