Catholic by Design > McGuinty says duty to voters exceeds his duty to Pope

What is Catholic by Design?

As many publications and organizations don't always publish or respond to pro-Catholic / pro-Life / pro-values letters, Catholic by Design is my attempt to better disseminate some of the letters I have written. All of the letters defend Catholics, the Catholic faith, and Catholic values.

Why Catholic by Design?

Lumen Gentium, one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council, best explains...

"All men are called to be part of this catholic unity of the people of God... And there belong to or are related to it in various ways, the Catholic faithful, all who believe in Christ, and indeed the whole of mankind, for all men are called by the grace of God to salvation."

Who am I?

Jason Gennaro, a Catholic husband and father of four living near Toronto, Canada.

Contact Me

E-mail is most welcome.

Under the patronage of
St. Peter Canisius,
prolific letter writer &
Doctor of the Church.

All letters | Published letters | Letters w/ responses
By category (not all categories listed) | Contact | Home

McGuinty says duty to voters exceeds his duty to Pope

Read the article / show / issue that provoked me to write a letter and my response below that or go straight to my response

Date Posted on this Site

May 17, 2007

Publication

Ottawa Citizen

Publication Date

May 16, 2007

Published Content

By April Lindgren

TORONTO - Premier Dalton McGuinty insisted yesterday that his duty to voters trumps his obligations to the Catholic church and Pope Benedict XVI, who has suggested that politicians who support abortion rights should be excommunicated.

"There are very few political leaders who would allow all of their actions to be informed exclusively by dictates of the church," Mr. McGuinty, who is both Catholic and pro-choice, told reporters when asked about the Pope's remarks.

"I have a different constituency than does the Pope. I am responsible for representing all kinds of people from all kinds of different backgrounds, different faiths, different cultures, different traditions."

"There's one particular aspect of myself that is in common with the Pope and (that is) I happen to be Catholic. But I have other responsibilities as well."

The Pope's comments came earlier this month when he was asked if he supports Mexican church leaders' threat to excommunicate leftist parliamentarians who recently voted to legalize abortion in Mexico City.

"Yes, this excommunication was not an arbitrary one, but is allowed by Canon (church) law, which says that the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving communion, which is receiving the body of Christ," Benedict told Reuters.

My Response Letter

Premier McGuinty was disingenuous when he suggested that his constituency is different from the Pope's constituency. The Pope also represents people of all faiths, traditions, and cultures. In fact, it's Pope - not the Premier - who is standing up for the lives of innocent unborn children, no matter what their faith, tradition, or culture.

The Premier should at least be honest enough to admit that he is not acting like a Catholic should act.

Jason Gennaro

Was my response published?

Back to the homepage
Back to page with all letters