The Implications of Cardinal Ouellet's Rome Appointment For Canada

[Soutane]

The Implications of Cardinal Ouellet’s Rome Appointment For Canada

Analysis by John-Henry Westen

June 30, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - One of Canada’s few outspokenly pro-life bishops is leaving his position as archbishop of the prominent diocese of Quebec to a new high-level post overseas in the Vatican. However, in his new job as the head of the Vatican dicastry which has a major say in appointing bishops and cardinals, Cardinal Marc Ouellet may have an even greater influence on the Church in Canada and especially his beloved Quebec. That is because nearly half of the bishops in the province are due to retire in the next two years, and more after that while Ouellet will be in his new position.

While the Cardinal made it clear at this afternoon’s press conference that he believes his legacy in Canada will be the 2008 Eucharistic Congress, his outspoken defence of life and family, a contrast to his confreres in Quebec, marked him more, at least for the immediate future. At the press conference, which officially announced the move that has been rumored for the past few weeks in Rome, the Cardinal was most asked by reporters about his stance on abortion.

For Cardinal Ouellet, however, his robust defense of the right to life is nothing more than being a good bishop. Asked by LifeSiteNews if he would be able to continue to be an outspoken defender of life in his new role, Cardinal Ouellet replied, “I will continue to be a Catholic bishop, obviously, and with the conviction that the bishops are in favor of life.” In that context, he added that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, “I will help the bishops to be good bishops.”

The Cardinal has never been shy about speaking up for the unborn, even in the hard cases of rape and incest. He consequently endured frequent and sometimes vicious criticism for his outspoken defense of the right to life from politicians, media, and even other clergy. Rather than feeling down about the attacks he was encouraged and in fact took the opportunity and accompanying media attention, to ‘launch’ the abortion debate in Canada.

Rain or shine, Cardinal Ouellet participated in the National March for Life the past two years. In a June, 2008 LifeSiteNews interview he had high praise for the much maligned 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae and remarked that abortion is the consequence of the "culture of contraception
lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jun/10063009.html

 

[Soutane]

Our loss,Rome’s gain.

 

[Melchior_1]

Our loss,Rome’s gain.

I disagree, this is everyone’s gain. We’ll never truly “lose” the good Cardinal, as you don’t think he’ll suggest like-minded people to become Bishops?

 

[The_Reginator]

What I find interesting, but not surprising, is the secular media’s take on Cardinal Ouellet’s views.
From Quebec cardinal named to powerful Vatican post in the Ottawa Citizen:

Quebec’s controversial Marc Cardinal Ouellet, who is heading to Rome to take over a high-profile position, insisted Wednesday he is not after the Vatican’s top job.
…

Ouellet set off a firestorm last month when he said abortion was an unjustifiable moral crime, even in the case of rape. He later defended his comments and called for a broader debate on abortion, adding he considers abortion a "serious moral disorder.

Read more: ottawacitizen.com/news/Quebec+cardinal+named+powerful+Vatican+post/3222899/story.html#ixzz0sSOE9iJW

So remaining faithful to the infallible teachings of the Church is “controversial”.
I wonder what they would have said if the Cardinal was openly in favour of gay ‘marriage’ or priestesses? Maybe much of the media would still use the word controversial … maybe not.

 

[PadraigPearce]

What I find interesting, but not surprising, is the secular media’s take on Cardinal Ouellet’s views.
From Quebec cardinal named to powerful Vatican post in the Ottawa Citizen:

So remaining faithful to the infallible teachings of the Church is “controversial”.
I wonder what they would have said if the Cardinal was openly in favour of gay ‘marriage’ or priestesses? Maybe much of the media would still use the word controversial … maybe not.

Yeah, the coverage on this is pretty weird. It really shows when it comes to the Catholic Church the media is totally out to lunch. One commentator called him an “arch-conservative” because of his abortion stance and his closeness to Pope Benedict. They keep talking about the “firestorm” Ouelett ignited with his abortion comments, but it’s a firestorm created by the media and then reported on by the media. CTV news had some woman from the Quebec Federation of Women as their expert commentator, but when the news anchor asked her how this would affect the future of the Church she said she didn’t actually know very much about the Church, but that she knows this appointment will be bad for women. Huh?? They couldn’t even get a decent ex Catholic or apostate to comment?
They’re also trying their best to link him to the sexual abuse scandal. Of course he’s squeaky clean, but they’re saying he didn’t apologize properly on behalf of the Church. Sheesh.

 

[choy]

Our loss,Rome’s gain.

we don’t lose anything
hopefully he will appoint more Bishops like himself who’s not afraid to speak against abortion and the other evils of modern society

 

[The_Reginator]

we don’t lose anything
hopefully he will appoint more Bishops like himself who’s not afraid to speak against abortion and the other evils of modern society

Yes, let’s hope this happens. Over and over and over again. Not just in Canada but around the world.

 

[Petergee]

Yeah, the coverage on this is pretty weird. It really shows when it comes to the Catholic Church the media is totally out to lunch. One commentator called him an “arch-conservative” because of his abortion stance and his closeness to Pope Benedict. They keep talking about the “firestorm” Ouelett ignited with his abortion comments, but it’s a firestorm created by the media and then reported on by the media. CTV news had some woman from the Quebec Federation of Women as their expert commentator, but when the news anchor asked her how this would affect the future of the Church she said she didn’t actually know very much about the Church, but that she knows this appointment will be bad for women. Huh?? They couldn’t even get a decent ex Catholic or apostate to comment?

Yeah it could be incompetence but more likely it’s a deliberate strategy which the media (even some “Catholic” media) are using more and more: They try to isolate any Catholic who simply states what the Church teaches by pillorying him as if his statements were some weird idiosyncratic doctrines that he invented himself.

In Australia we recently saw a Catholic layman rubbished in the “Catholic” media as an “extremist” by his fellow Catholics including a prominent priest, merely because he stated the Church’s doctrine that Catholics who miss Mass on Sunday without grave reason need to confess before receiving Communion.