Bishop Henry Under Fire

[Shoshana]

Calgary Bishop Says He Would Refuse Prime Minister Communion Continues strong defence of Catholic teaching on marriage despite attacks CALGARY, August 5, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Calgary Bishop Fred Henry has not been daunted by politicians and newspapers attacking him as a hatemonger and worse for his clear defence of Catholic teaching on homosexuality and his daring to call to account Prime Minister Jean Chretien who calls himself ‘Catholic’. Rather than back down from his widely reported warning that the Prime Minister was risking his eternal salvation, Bishop Henry used the media frenzy to teach.

In an interview with Sun Media, Bishop Henry noted that a good Catholic must be in communion with the Church. "As a Catholic if he can’t listen to the pope and he can’t listen to the bishops then we have a problem with the Catholicity of this man. We have a serious problem. “You can’t go around calling yourself a good Catholic and act in a contrary manner. Acts have consequences.”

The Bishop also noted that he would refuse Chretien communion. “Given his status, if the prime minister were to come to Calgary and line up for communion in the ranks at the cathedral and I were the celebrant I would probably refuse him and give him a simple blessing. I don’t want to embarrass anyone publicly but at present he is not in communion with the church. I don’t intend to threaten the prime minister but I think his eternal salvation is at risk and I pray he experiences some kind of conversion and enlightenment and mend his ways.”

See his comments to Sun Media and a column in the Globe by Bishop Henry:
canoe.ca/Columnists/bell.html theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews…

 

[Shoshana]

Catholic World News

Canadian bishop ripped for stance on homosexuality

Calgary, Jan. 18 (CWNews.com) - Bishop Frederick Henry of Calgary, Alberta, has told a Canadian newspaper that he is “amazed” by the hostile responses he has received since issuing a pastoral letter in which he denounced homosexual activity.

“You should see some of the hate mail I’m getting right now,” Bishop Henry told the Globe and Mail .

According to the Globe and Mail, the most virulent criticism of the bishop was touched off by his statement that the government should “use its coercive power to proscribe or curtail” certain sexual activities, “in the interests of the common good.” Gay activists were outraged that the bishop listed homosexual acts along with prostitution and pornography as behavior the state should restrict.

Bishop Henry held to that position, however, telling the newspaper that homosexual activity, like prostitution and pornography, undermines marriage and family life. He conceded that his reference to the “coercive power” of the state had prompted misunderstandings, but explained that he was referring to state endorsement of homosexual activities rather than “a bedroom police force.”

Bishop Henry told the Globe and Mail that he had no intention of muting his message on controversial issues, despite the ferocious public criticism of his stand. “I’m just trying to speak the truth as I see it,” he said.

Blessings,
Shoshana