Cardinal: Equating Marriage and Homosexuality in Schools is 'Harmful to Children'
'In Canada There is no Real Equality of Rights'
QUEBEC CITY, May 27, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “Currently, in Canada there is no real equality of rights because children, in the mother’s womb, are not at all protected: not at all,” said Quebec City Cardinal Marc Ouellet at the May 15 Congress of Campaign Life Quebec. “We are one of the rare countries in the world, in the whole world, where children in the maternal womb have no protection at all.”
The talk gained international media attention but only for one aspect – his remarks against abortion in cases of rape.
The Cardinal, who as the Archbishop of the nation’s oldest diocese is the Primate of Canada, acknowledged: “I’m aware that sometimes people think that on all these issues maybe I should shut up.” He stressed, however, the urgent need for Christians everywhere – including in politics and education – to speak up on matters of life and family, since the current situation regarding life and family issues presents “worrisome scenarios for the future of man.” Ouellet showed himself unafraid even to push the hot-button issue of the French language in Quebec, stating that man-woman marriages and openness to life have enabled the French language to survive in the province.
He called on the pro-life movement to intensify their action and grow, and said he sensed that such growth is already occurring in the province.
The Cardinal had high praise for the National March for Life, organized by Campaign Life Coalition. “The atmosphere was great, really outstanding: in fact people were full of enthusiasm, and full of life,” he said.
“When you commit to life you become more alive. You become more alive, and more joyful: happier, and that’s what I saw on the faces of the children, and also of the adolescents and the youth. There was a majority of youth in this demonstration, which is great.”
In the wide-ranging address, Ouellet also condemned the “neo-colonialism” of Western nations imposing on Africa an anti-life mentality.
“Africa has an extraordinary culture of life: an extraordinary respect for life, love for children, and families," said the Cardinal. "And we want to impose on them our own schemes, our own conception of progress, specifically the progress of women. Well, let’s not fall into a neo-colonialism. Neo-colonialism: imposing our Western modes of living on cultures when we should have ourselves maintained respect for life.”
In his closing remarks, the Quebec City Cardinal raised concern about the positive presentation of homosexuality and homosexual ‘marriage’ in schools, calling it “dubious and perhaps even harmful to the children.” With such questionable education, he said, “You are deforming conscience. You are also warping the processes of psycho-sexual and psycho-social identification processes of youth.”
Watch the video of the Cardinal’s speech (in French):
http://www.ecdq.tv/fr/videos/e3251075554389fe91d17a794861d47b
