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In Canada, patriotism is hard to get just right. We do it well on Remembrance Day, with veterans, the national anthem, the Royal anthem, and even prayer – when it’s allowed.

Other times, it might be better to leave it to the Americans, who have established traditions: hand over heart during the anthem, flag laws, and other formalities. 

Canadians booing the American national anthem at sporting events, for example, just comes across as boorish. Observe how Boston didn’t really have the heart to match us in jeering O Canada at the final game of the 4 Nations hockey tournament.

Similarly, Canadians are making a lot of noise about boycotting American goods over Trump’s tariff threats. And while there’s value in supporting a Buy Canadian effort, and we’re at least confronting interprovincial trade barriers that have long frustrated domestic free trade, there’s something off about our response.

For one thing, it resembles other movements that flare up quickly and without much thought: pandemic responses, climate policies, claims of mass graves at residential schools, gender identity debates, racial and DEI policies, Ukraine-Russia. 

In each of these issues, it was difficult to ask questions or challenge the popular narrative without facing social ostracization.

We see the same thing happening now. Try making the case that Trump might have some legitimate grievances and it could cost you a friendship.

Trump’s approach is often brash, and sometimes off-base, but that’s his deal-making style. Anyone who hasn’t figured that out by now hasn’t been paying attention. “I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get what I’m after,” he wrote in The Art of the Deal.

He often doesn’t get everything he wanted, and what he does get often benefits his opponent in some way too. Which makes it hard to understand why every proposal is greeted with maximum outrage.

There’s also the matter of Canadian hypocrisy. Where is this country’s equivalent of national anthem booing when it comes to China?

Despite rampant human rights abuses, religious persecution, suppression of free speech, military aggression, foreign political interference, cyber espionage, and a lack of transparency about the pandemic, China remains our second-largest trading partner. Canadians willingly spend their money on Chinese goods, which make up 10 per cent of our total imports. Yet if you told someone you’re boycotting Chinese products, you’d more likely be seen as a zealot, not a patriot.

There’s also Canada’s own imperialism when it comes to foreign policy. We can rage about Trump’s harshness about our soft border, but we seem unbothered by Canada’s colonial attitude toward third-world countries.

For years, Canada has tied foreign aid to reproductive rights and climate policies in developing nations, pushing progressive values onto people who would rather have food, medicine, education, clean water, and security.

Even as they began the busy work of transferring episcopal responsibility for Vancouver, it was the health and well-being of Pope Francis that was on everyone’s minds as the Holy Father announced that Archbishop Richard Smith would be the next Archbishop of Vancouver.

Speaking at a live-streamed press conference in Edmonton, Archbishop Smith said he was heartened by the outpouring of prayers he has been seeing for the Holy Father.

“What I have found beautiful over the last little while has been how the whole world has rallied in prayer for Pope Francis,” he said.

“He is the Pope, he is the head of the Church, he is our father,” said Archbishop Smith. “When a loved one is ill, you just rally, and you pray. You pray for God’s will. You pray for his recovery. It’s just so moving to see how beloved Pope Francis is to the whole world and how that has manifested in this outpouring of prayer.”

Archbishop Smith said he had the opportunity to work with the Pope during the historic papal visit to Canada in July 2022. The fact that Francis made the visit while his health was failing made it all the more remarkable.

“Even in a year of failing health, he still made the effort to come to Canada,” Archbishop Smith said.

For the Edmonton prelate, the visit demonstrated a path for the Church toward ministering to suffering people and those in need. “We need to open our hearts,” he said, and to approach people in ways suited to them so they can hear the Gospel and find hope.

“What I am very grateful to God for … was the opportunity that it gave me to draw closer to the Indigenous peoples of the area,” he said.

“I have really grown to love [our Indigenous people] and have a deep respect for their culture, their traditions, and their wisdom. Their openness to engage with me and with the Church has been a beautiful moment for me that I will treasure for a long time.”

Outside Holy Rosary Cathedral, Archbishop Miller was expressing similar sentiments to reporters who gathered after the mid-day Mass. “I know that people are praying for [Pope Francis] around the world,” he said in response to their questions about the Holy Father’s health.

During a Jubilee year dedicated to hope, he observed that there is something hopeful about the tradition of a Pope’s commitment to his ministry during illness, even to the end of his life.

The Holy See Press Office provided a medical update on Pope Francis Sunday evening, saying his condition remains critical but he had not experienced any more respiratory crises. 

The statement said:

“The condition of the Holy Father remains critical, but since yesterday evening, he has not experienced any further respiratory crises.

“He received two units of concentrated red blood cells with beneficial effects, and his hemoglobin levels have risen.  

“The thrombocytopenia remains stable; however, some blood tests show early, mild renal insufficiency, which is currently under control.  

“High-flow oxygen therapy continues through nasal cannulas.  

“The Holy Father remains alert and well-oriented.  

“The complexity of the clinical situation and the necessary time for the pharmacological treatments to show results require that the prognosis remain guarded.

“This morning, in the apartment on the tenth floor, he participated in the Holy Mass, together with those who have been taking care of him during these days of hospitalization.”

Last week, Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, joined the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in asking the faithful to pray for Pope Francis as he continues receiving medical care in hospital.

The Archbishop shared a special Prayer for the Holy Father, asking God to restore Pope Francis to good health so he may continue serving the Church. The prayer can be found on the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s website: rcav.org/announcements/prayer-for-the-holy-father.

Bishop William T. McGrattan, president of the CCCB, expressed the Canadian bishops’ solidarity with the Pope.

“I wish to assure the faithful of Canada that I am united with my brother Bishops in praying for the full recovery of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, as he continues to lead the Church with courage and a generosity of spirit,” he said.

He encouraged individuals, families, and parishes across Canada to pray for the Pope, invoking Mary’s intercession for his strength and healing.

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By Vatican News

Pope Francis had a peaceful ninth night in the hospital, the Holy See Press Office published on Sunday morning, issuing its latest note to journalists as the Holy Father is being treated for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

Saturday night, the Press Office issued the following evening health update on the Holy Father:

The condition of the Holy Father continues to be critical. Therefore, as explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger. This morning, Pope Francis experienced an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity, which required the administration of high-flow oxygen.

Today’s blood tests also revealed thrombocytopenia, associated with anemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions.

The Holy Father remains alert and spent the day in an armchair, although he is more fatigued than yesterday. At the moment, the prognosis remains guarded.

At a press conference in Rome’s Gemelli hospital on late Friday afternoon, Dr Sergio Alfieri, the head of the team taking care of the Pope, and Dr Luigi Carbone, the Vice-Director of the Vatican’s healthcare service, spoke for some forty minutes to a roomful of journalists.

The pair said that they believed the Pope would be hospitalised for “at least” the entirety of the next week, and that Pope Francis is not “in danger of death,” but he’s also not fully “out of danger.”

Dr Alfieri emphasised that the Pope is not attached to a ventilator, although he is still struggling with his breathing and consequently keeping his physical movements limited.

Nevertheless, the physician said, the Pope is sitting upright in a chair, working, and joking as usual.  Alfieri said that when one of the doctors greeted the Pope by saying “Hello, Holy Father”, he replied with “Hello, Holy Son”. Asked by a journalist what their greatest fear is, the doctors noted that there is a risk that germs in the Pope’s respiratory tract might enter his bloodstream, causing sepsis.

Dr Alfieri did say, however, that he was confident that Pope Francis would leave the hospital at some point and return to Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican – with the proviso that when he does so, his chronic respiratory issues will remain. 

Pope Francis remained in critical condition and was “not out of danger,” the Holy See Press Office announced Saturday evening in Rome. 

The 88-year-old Pontiff “experienced an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity” Saturday morning that required the administration of high-flow oxygen, according to the Vatican’s medical update. Blood tests revealed a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia), associated with anemia, which required blood transfusions.

While the Holy Father remained alert and spent the day in an armchair, he was “more uncomfortable than yesterday,” the statement said, describing the prognosis as guarded.

The Vatican confirmed earlier Saturday that the Pope would not lead the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer on Feb. 23. During a press conference at Gemelli Hospital on Friday, the medical team caring for the Pontiff had described his condition as serious, noting that Pope Francis was fully aware of his situation.

Prayerful presence marked the scene outside Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon as religious sisters and faithful gathered to petition for Pope Francis’ recovery through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Local Catholics and jubilee pilgrims in Rome were praying for Pope Francis’ recovery as he marked one week in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia and bronchitis.

Pilgrim groups and individuals from around the world continued to travel to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year, and though they would not catch a glimpse of the Pontiff, he remained close to their hearts.

As they prepared to walk through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, a group of about 50 pilgrims from Our Lady of Nantes Parish in France told CNA they were praying for the Pope’s full recovery. The group had planned to attend the Angelus with the Pope on Feb. 23, but now, “we pray for him and we hope that everything will be OK,” seminarian Aymeric Dor said.

Dor recalled that one of the conditions to receive the Holy Door plenary indulgence was to pray for the Pope’s intentions, which he said they were doing: “We are praying for his health too.”

Agata Eccli, who was part of a pilgrimage of 57 people from different parishes and towns in Poland, said her group was not only praying for Pope Francis during their visit to St. Peter’s Basilica but also at each of the stops they made on an Italy-wide pilgrimage, including the tomb of St. Anthony in Padua, St. Francis in Assisi, St. Peter in Rome, and St.

Pope Francis continued on Saturday to be treated for a respiratory infection at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Hospital where laboratory tests indicate an improvement in certain health parameters.

A statement released by the Holy See Press Office on Saturday afternoon said the Pope rested throughout the night without experiencing episodes of fever.

“The examinations carried out during the day confirm the respiratory tract infection. The therapy has been slightly modified based on further microbiological findings. Today’s laboratory tests show an improvement in some values,” it explained.

The statement added that on Saturday morning the Holy Father received the Eucharist and “alternated moments of rest with prayer and reading.”

Pope will not lead Sunday Angelus

To aid his recovery, the medical team at the Hospital has prescribed complete rest. Therefore, the statement continued, “On Sunday, February 16, Pope Francis will not lead the Angelus prayer, however, he has sent a prepared text for its publication.”

The communiqué concluded noting that “The Holy Father has been informed of the many messages of closeness and affection received. He expresses his gratitude and asks for continued prayers for him.”

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How to fight the battle for our souls — and win.

If you knew you had to fight for your life, would you want some time to prepare for that struggle? How would you spend that time? Surely, you would want to spend some of that time choosing suitable weapons and defenses, and you would want to learn how to use them well.

Most of us will never have to fight for our physical lives, but all of us are in a fight — right now — for our souls.  Every human soul is a battleground between the grace of God and the evil of the fallen world, fallen flesh, and the devil. The season of Lent is a time to be vividly reminded of that constant, often hidden conflict. In an earlier column, I described Lent as a time to get serious about confronting the evil within us and the evil around us.  In my last column, I wrote about how to discern whether we are fulfilling or failing Lent’s purposes.  This week, let’s look at the tools needed to fight Lent’s battle — the battle for our souls — and win.

The three traditional Lenten disciplines are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Saint Peter Chrysologus taught that “prayer knocks, fasting obtains, mercy receives.” How can we take that wisdom to heart for Lent, and let those disciplines become our arms and armor for the constant battle for our souls?

Let’s start with prayer. Jesus never said, “Pray more” or “Pray better.” He did teach us to pray always. (Luke 18:1) To pray is to enter consciously and deliberately into the presence of God. Jesus was faithful unto death because He knew that He was always in the presence of our Heavenly Father, even when He did not feel that presence.

If you had the opportunity to be constantly in the presence of a father who loved you absolutely, would you take it? But we all have that opportunity! We are all always in the presence of our Heavenly Father Who loves us perfectly. During this Lenten season, find the answer to this question: “What would my life look like if I really believed that I am always in the presence of my Heavenly Father, Who loves me absolutely?” Then live according to the answer to that question — whether you feel like it or not. To “pray always” means to “practice the presence of God.” 

What about fasting? So many people seemed caught up in parsing the minutiae of what constitutes a fast and what does not qualify as a fast. Those considerations are not irrelevant, but they are not paramount.

Re Paul Schratz’ Feb. 10 column “The case for a Just Tariff theory”:

I am appalled that he actually suggested tariffs might be a good idea. He failed to mention that Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. currently have a trade agreement in place, set to expire in 2026. Trump doesn’t seem to care about this agreement. 

The threat of imposing such massive tariffs would only cause economic upheaval in both countries. The reasons cited by President Donald Trump—fact-checked by CNN and other neutral news sources—are grossly exaggerated lies. Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized approximately 43 pounds of illicit drugs. Illegal immigration to the U.S. via Canada is a fraction of the illegal crossings at the southern border.

The rule of law appears to be taking a back seat in the U.S., and Canadians from coast to coast—including many who are not Trudeau supporters—are standing firm against the tyranny caused by the sitting president. Even Alberta Premier Danielle Smith now seems to be aligning with the other premiers in a unified stance.

Canada is taking a more serious approach to securing our own borders with the U.S. However, our court system and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms need reform to address the serious inconsistencies in the laying of criminal drug charges and obtaining necessary convictions.

Martin Askew
Kelowna

Re Father Ho’s Jan. 20 column “On keeping silent in the face of injustice”:

The call to remain silent in the face of injustice needs further explanation and discussion.

First, it is always right to stand up for a fellow human being when he or she is being treated unfairly. Our justice system also depends on people testifying as witnesses.

When our home is broken into, when someone steals from us or attacks us, should we simply stay quiet?

What if the person who crashes into our car is a fellow Catholic? Should we only settle out of court? Should we not report it?

What if someone spreads lies, damaging our reputation? Should we stay silent?

Isn’t it better to seek a trusted person to mediate, help us confront the issue, and work toward a fair resolution?

Marianne Werner
Vancouver

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7th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C
First Reading: 1 Sm 26:2, 7–9, 12–13, 22–25
Second Reading: 1 Cor 15:45–49
Gospel Reading: Lk 6:27–38 

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus utters the heart of his teaching: “Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who abuse you.”

He gives practical examples: “If anyone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.”

The First Reading offers another example. David must have been tempted to think that Saul deserved death and that in killing him he would be doing God and the world a favour. However, David understood what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that the “path of charity”—that is, “the love of God and of neighbour”—is “the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to evil and the violence which, under the illusion of fighting evil, only makes it worse.”

“Charity,” or, in Greek, agape, “respects others and their rights,” the Catechism says. “It requires the practice of justice, and it alone makes us capable of it.” Agape “inspires a life of self-giving: whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

God’s ways are not our ways. As St. Paul says in the Second Reading: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”

By “love,” we usually mean a natural (“perishable”) love: affection, friendship, or eros (the love that expresses itself sexually). We feel these loves toward a few people only.

However, agape is a supernatural love. It consists not of feelings but of willed behaviour. God made us capable of this behaviour when he bestowed supernatural life on us in baptism.

Paradoxically, C.S. Lewis noted that if we try to love all people with this kind of love, we find ourselves loving them naturally more and more and loving naturally more and more people.

Even by simply praying for our enemies, we find that Lewis is right, and we can see from history that if we injure them, even when, by human standards, they deserve it, we find ourselves hating them more.

Christ himself loves us with agape, for he “died out of love for us, while we were still enemies,” says the Catechism. “The Lord asks us to love” our enemies even as he does: “to make ourselves the neighbours of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself.”