The May 2010 Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Newsletter can now be found at: http://www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca/Newsletters/Newsletter108(May2010)(RGB).pdf Bill C-384 was soundly defeated by a vote of 228 to 59. Check how the Members of Parliament voted at: http://www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca/HowTheyVoted.pdf On June 5, 2010, we are co-hosting the US/Canda Push-Back Seminar at the Radisson Gateway Hotel at the Seattle/Tacoma Airport. The overwhelming defeat of Bill C-384 proved that we can Push-Back the euthanasia lobby in the US and Canada and convince people that euthanasia and assisted suicide are a dangerous public policy. Register for the Seminar at: http://www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca/2010SeminarFlyer(RGB)(LetterFormat).pdf The Schindler family are being attacked by a Florida television station and Michael Schiavo. The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is standing in solidarity with the Schindler family. My blog comments: http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2010/05/att
Reflections from the pastoral ministry of an Evangelical Catholic Priest.
Fr. Tim - I had just read this. I can't imagine anything more potentially worse for victims of clerical abuse both current and in the future that exempting the dioceses and bishops from culpability in not dealing with sex abuse issues.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this ruling deals with the Catholic Church I'm not naive to think this is only a Catholic problem and only related to the particulars of this cases.
Do you see this as a carte blanche for unscrupulous religions to break the law?
Rationalist1
Rationalist: I sincerely hope it is not a carte blanche. The Church neither needs nor would actually benefit from such a privilege. It would only lead back to them abusing such earthly power.
DeleteNot all laws are just and need to be obeyed. This is true. But that does not mean that the Church should possess the right to be exempted from all civil law. It does not require a 'get out of jail free' card. (to use a Monopoly term!)
Fr. Tim
I agree. If they were arguing this to deal with the contraception issue, I would understand why and not be as concerned. And while I worry what some Bishops might do (I assume they would primarily use it to get out of liability for the abuse cover-up) , I really worry about what some unscrupulous characters might do. Imagine this power in the hands of some of the television fundamentalist pastors. There would be no end to the manipulative techniques they would use.
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