Cardus

Regarding the Register’s July 2 editorial “Bishop Henry’s line in the sand,” kudos to Bishop Henry!  Could he be another John the Baptist?  A voice crying in the wilderness?  I agree with everything he says.

I was troubled by your recent editorial that approved of Prime Minister Trudeau giving millions to Ukraine to “further the war effort.” The money will only help prolong this bloody conflict. Also, there’s a real danger of it escalating into a nuclear war. In fact, many military experts describe the conflict as a proxy war between the U.S.-NATO alliance and Russia. They argue that Ukraine is being used as a tool to attack Russia. As Catholics we shouldn’t be taking sides in this war. We’re called to love both Ukrainians and Russians. It would have been more appropriate to further peace efforts by calling for an end to the war through a negotiated settlement. As Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) July 9 (Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30)

The radiant prophecy from Zechariah is familiar to most as the text associated with the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The evangelist clearly saw Jesus as the embodiment of the king in this prophecy. Scholars are not certain as to the time in which it was written — many dates have been proposed, but none is certain. It was written as an oracle of hope during a time of distress and fear, which means it could have been written at almost any time. The best estimates place it after the exile, possibly in the fifth century BC. It was probably an independent oracle utilized by the author of the book.

Conflict between religion and the LGBTQIA+ community was going to publicly appear soon enough. In every community there are members who are hidden and others now out and proud of who they are. This community continues to challenge all traditional community and religious attitudes. Catholic Church doctrine welcomes the person but also points out the sin. Reformed Christian Churches firmly oppose the gay lifestyle, while the United church is firmly supportive and accepting. It is Islam (with Christian fundamentalist allies) that will bring the fight to public administrations, school boards and even private board rooms. Islam protects itself, its Quran, its Prophet Muhammed, and Islamic traditions.

A Catholic university community in western Ukraine is reeling from a July 6 missile attack on the city of Lviv, located less than 80 km from the Polish border.

The Catholic Church must take great care to avoid rites or blessings that suggest marriage is anything other than a sacramental bond between one man and one woman, the incoming prefect of the Vatican's doctrinal office said.

The Catholic community in Canada needs better leadership. Our bishops, as shepherds of the most vulnerable lambs, have failed to respond to recent events with united and unambiguous statements. Some statements have been made but were open to interpretation and thus inappropriate for the laity. On no occasion have I heard from pulpit or Catholic media a clear defense of the Catholic doctrine in respect of Pride activity. A clear and unambiguous letter from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops could be read from the pulpit to clarify the Catholic position. The word pride, in this context, refers to personal achievement without God's major involvement. It represents one of the seven deadly sins. How many Catholic children are made aware of the seven deadly sins and the virtues when they are not mentioned from the pulpit? We should be mindful that Our Lord was never politically correct and very direct in his teachings.

The award-winning Catholic Register is seeking a Reporter/Content Creator. This is a unique opportunity to work at a national newspaper, which has provided Canadians with Catholic news, commentary, and visual journalism since 1893.

The penny has finally dropped and I now realize that you are actually not a Christian paper at all but rather a sort of political and intellectual commentary upon things Catholic.

The Vatican is developing a plan to return to Ukraine children illegally deported to Russia but is not jockeying to mediate the war, Pope Francis' peace envoy said upon his return from his mission to Moscow.