Monseigneur Turcotte of the Catholic Church was to receive the Order of Canada, the highest civilian honour you can get in Canada.According to the website it “recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society.”
David Suzuki has it, as does Celine Dion, for whatever reason, I'm still wondering about her outstanding service to the nation; I can't quite get my head around that one.
Conrad Black has it, I'm sure it's a big consolation as he sits in his prison cell.
Many many "unsung heros" are also recipients of the Order. You know, real people who make a difference. They still exist apparently.
Henry Morgentaler is among the latest recipients. Because of Morgentaler’s battle, Canadian women have the right to choose what to do with their own bodies. I happen to really admire the man for going to bat (and prison) for women.
As an anti-abortion (I refuse to call them pro-life) Catholic, Turcotte has decided he cannot accept his medal. It's a moral decision. Receiving it at the same time as (now use your best deep and ominous voice here people) an abortionist, is anathema to the guy.
I guess Morgantaler is the devil. A Jewish devil, at that. Oh my.
I'm sure he'll accept it next time he's nominated, if everyone at the ceremony meets with his approval.
What I find totally ironic is that Turcotte has no problem with a couple of priests who recently admitted to molesting children and didn't go to jail. One of them is in a monastery somewhere, the other was given a scholarship and went to Rome to study some religious something or other.
The hypocrisy of it floors me. But, as the good Monsignor says, they are punished in their own way... Um, yeah, sure. Scholarships are a helluva punishment. Every child molester should get a scholarship to go study in Europe. That way our kids would be safe at any rate.
And then they wonder why people are leaving the church in droves. Well duh.
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9 comments:
I'm with you 100%. To me there is no greater crime than child abuse.
In our local news this morning: Priest selling cocaine.
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2008/09/12/priest_pleads_innocent_informants_testimony_led_to_arrest
What a world.
Elective morals.
wow, some people.
This hypocracy kills me. I'm glad Turcotte gave his back. He doesn't deserve one anyway. Neither do a lot of the people they give this thing to. Its like the Canadian Walk of Fame. Any Canadian whose name is known to more than 10 other Canadians gets inducted there. Anyway, I'm glad Morgentaler got some positive recognition after all the shit he's put up with for decades.
I say good for the louse for refusing it. I hope they never offer it again.
If I am not mistaken, Cardinal Turcotte already received the medal of the Order of Canada a while ago, he just decided to send it back to protest against the decision to grant it to Dr. Morgentaler, on moral grounds. It would have been all right had he decided to give it back when Morgentaler was nominated a few months ago already. Questionable, but all right. Now, I think he is doing it because his action will get more echo, and maybe give some publicity to pro-life movement (as if it needed any), us being in an election and all. That said, even though it is understandable that the Cardinal does not like the idea of the Order being granted to the man being responsible to the legalisation of abortion in Canada, it is still questionable on an ethical/moral standpoint. Yes, Turcotte lacks compassion towards the victims of paedophile priests and seems to excuse them, but that's not what I find deplorable. The people who received the Order of Canada had various faiths and ideologies, sometimes conflictual ones, sometimes some people received it for dubious reasons (Céline Dion, Conrad Black), but as long as it isn't granted to a criminal, there is nothing we can do about it. No medal is ever given to somebody who makes complete consensus, and while Morgentaler has his adversaries, he did helped many women to abort in clinically secure environment. Whatever the cardinal's view on abortion (there are legitimate reasons to be against it), the Dr. did improved the life of many Canadien women, saved many of them from botched abortions. This is in itself quite an accomplishment.
I doubt Turcotte has anything against Morgentaler's Jewishness though. First, because Turcotte is not an antisemite, second because Morgentaler himself is not into his Jewish heritage. He is not a Sionist, for example.
This whole thing ridiculous, reminds me of school. If you didn't get one, you weren't popular. Pfftt I say...
The Roman Catholic church has a long way to go to clean up its act but then again, when you think how far back this shit has been going on, you wonder if they ever will!
Guillaume, what are legitimate reasons to be against abortion? Religious? morals? according to whom? If one doesn't adhere to catholicism, would the views not be legitimate? Just curious about that comment.
Fuball - Yep. None.
Gnightgirl - Priests are so wild these days
Rattie - That pretty much sums it up.
XUP - and why now? The current "crop" was announced months ago, and all of a sudden he's turning his in? Could he perhaps be hoping that the anti-abortionist will get more airtime now that the conservatives are likely getting back in power?
Geewits - This is Canada, of course it'll be offered again, though honestly I can't see what he did to deserve it.
Guillaume - Yeah, he had it already, and he's just returning it. All of a sudden the man has a crisis of conscience. It's bullshit. We're obviously thinking along the same lines on this one.
UA - I know you asked Guillaume, but here's my answer. To him, with his moral stance, abortion is wrong. Period. From my point of view it's not - being an atheist I have no morals I've bee told ;-)
I have no problem with his morality as long as he doesn't try to shove it down my throat. To each his own.
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