Cardinal Lacroix explained that he decided to speak out because, as the government slowly seeks to reopen society following coronavirus lockdowns, “millions of believers from the different faith communities in the province of Quebec feel betrayed, ignored, by the authorities.”
Canada
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Canadian court: Safe Third Country Agreement with U.S. violates rights
A federal judge in Canada has struck down the Safe Third Country Agreement, which sends refugees arriving at the border back to detention in the United States, on the grounds that it violates the Charter of Rights and Freedom.
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Holy Communion: Not banned in Toronto
Church officials had been in regular conversation with Toronto and Ontario officials and received enthusiastic approval of the plan the diocese put in motion to reopen churches and restore Communion at Mass.
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How Canadian Catholics are responding to George Floyd’s killing and Black Lives Matter
Demonstrations in Ottawa and other communities protested Floyd’s killing, but they also called attention to the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old Indigenous-Black Canadian woman who fell to her death from a Toronto high rise.
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Canadian archbishop: Fight against racism needs ‘personal change of heart’
The Catholic bishops of Canada, in commenting on the protests over George Floyd’s death, are acknowledging that racism isn’t just a U.S. problem, but a Canadian problem as well.
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Nova Scotia archbishop offers condolences after largest mass shooting in Canadian history
“Such a tragic event, involving the meaningless death of so many of our fellow citizens, has shocked us all,” he said, “adding more collective suffering to an already tragic time in our province, our country and our personal lives.
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In Canada, Justin Trudeau marshals a federal response to coronavirus
Among the emergency provisions are increases to family benefits, a six-month interest-free pause on student loans and a biweekly payment of $900 for sick or laid-off workers without employment insurance or sick leave.
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Catholic and public school teachers begin to strike in the face of education cuts
The job actions, which come alongside strikes by other teachers’ unions across the province, reflect a new breaking point in relations between public educators and the Progressive Conservative government of Ontario, led by Premier Doug Ford.
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Bishops among critics of Canada’s quick changes to assisted suicide law
Archbishop Richard Gagnon, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, reiterated church opposition to government-sanctioned suicide while slamming the idea that a survey is the way to address “grave moral questions.”
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Quebec to take ethics and religious culture out of school curriculum
The bishops said they welcomed the minister’s willingness to revise and enrich the content of the program, on the condition that “this will not be done to the detriment of the notions of religious culture.”