Readers Speak Out: April 23, 2023

Facing facts

Michael Swan’s article “Children’s aid faces up to race issues” on catholicregister.org, and printed in the April 9 issue, outlines the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto’s (CCAS) addressing racism within the child welfare, education and justice systems. It is important to note that our Journey Toward Equity is ongoing, and one we take seriously at CCAS.

CCAS is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of the children, young people and families we serve, especially those who are marginalized. We recognize that to address disproportionality and disparity in our service delivery, it is imperative to work closely with the Toronto Police Service and the Toronto Catholic District School Board to combat racism within all the systems that impact our service recipients. It is through these important partnerships that we continue to challenge the status quo, trite reporting, addressing bias and racism, learning and growing together so we can strengthen equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do.

In addition to highlighting our important partnerships, I would like to correct erroneous information in the article. It states I have worked for CCAS for 20 years. It should read 15 years. It also says I designed and implemented the Africentric Wraparound model (ACW). In fact, it was designed by the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies’ One Vision One Voice, and piloted by CCAS, which then became a permanent program. It took a team of people to design and implement the ACW model to improve service delivery for African Canadian children and families involved with child welfare.

Priscilla Manful

Chief Executive Officer, CCAS

Toronto

Editorial umbrage

I applaud Register staff for their efforts to present articles representing different Catholic perspectives. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the editorials. They portray one particular perspective as the only correct one and denigrate those who are open to different ones, especially Pope Francis and those who have embraced his synodal path.

To accuse the German bishops and laity of apostasy because they advocate the blessing of same-sex marriages when apostasy is defined as denial of the whole truth of Roman Catholic teaching, manifests a lack of charity and an exaggerated fundamentalism. Even the somewhat lesser claim that such a blessing would violate the foundational truth of Holy Mother Church and contradict the nature of the Church and, indeed, of our essential humanness at its origin is at best an hypothesis for which there are persuasive counter-arguments.

The editorial writer needs to be more humble and listen in a synodal way to different views rather than fomenting divisions among Catholics.

John Williams

Ottawa, Ont.

God knows

I’ve been dismayed by the plethora of The Catholic Register’s articles extolling organizations touting dangerous climate alarmism.

Seemingly every other week, your reporter Michael Swan is promoting the ideologically-driven work of Development and Peace or the latest doom-and-gloom forecast from entities such as the United Nations. The people making these doomsday predictions are the same ones proven wrong over and over. “Experts” with a very low batting average don’t deserve to be called experts.

Only God knows the future of our planet. Swan puts too much stock in the shaky opinions of people who perhaps wish they could play God. 

Alex Lorenz

Annaheim, Sask.