Category: BC Catholic

A week after The Catholic Register revealed that pro-life advocate Alissa Golob went undercover while 22 weeks pregnant to test whether late-term abortions were accessible in Canada without medical justification, the national response continues to intensify, with a new twist: a fourth hidden-camera video that Golob says she is legally barred from releasing.

Golob, co-founder of RightNow, posed as an undecided pregnant woman in abortion facilities in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary in 2023. The Nov. 19 Register story detailed her conversations with counsellors and physicians who told her late-term abortions could be arranged at nearby hospitals, sometimes “up to 32 weeks,” without needing to provide medical reasons.

Staff described procedures as a “mini stillbirth,” advised her she could “expel the fetus in the car,” and said reasons such as already having two children or “not wanting to be pregnant” were acceptable.

Those recordings — three of which have now been released — directly contradict long-standing political claims that late-term abortions in Canada are only performed in cases of maternal health risk or severe fetal anomalies.

In an email interview with The B.C. Catholic, Golob said the reaction from Canadians has been more visceral than she expected.

The dominant response has been “overwhelming shock and horror from the average Canadian who didn’t think late-term abortions were possible,” she said.

Many who describe themselves as pro-choice wrote to her saying the recordings were disturbing and that unrestricted late-term abortion “just shouldn’t be allowed.”

By contrast, she said some abortion-rights advocates have reacted with confusion and contradiction. “They were basically trying to throw everything they could at it to see if anything would stick,” she said. “Some said the videos were lies, some said late-term abortions don’t happen — despite the videos proving otherwise.”

Golob said the most significant development since the Register story broke is her discovery that she cannot release the Calgary footage at all.

“Alberta, shockingly, has the most extreme and over-reaching bubble-zone legislation in the country,” she said. “Distributing any footage recorded in the bubble zone could result in a fine or jail time.”

She called the legislation “worse than Ontario and even Montreal,” meaning the fourth video will remain unreleased unless the province changes its law.

Although no physician has contacted her privately, Golob says some health-care professionals reacted strongly in group chats and medical forums.

“Doctors were trying to disprove that late-term abortions happen until others in the chat posted my undercover videos,” she said.

I am generally not a fan of television series, usually finding myself weary of the attempts to provide novelty to something that merely becomes predictable. Of course, there are exceptions. I found myself spellbound by Ken Burns’ Civil War series and fascinated by his most recent American Revolution feature, though I recognize that neither is the sort of thing that is normally dubbed a “television series”.

In that realm it is a mark of my television watching that I gave up on Downton Abbey within a few episodes of the first series, despite recognizing its superb production values. So it is that the only series I remember with pleasure, admiration and continued fascination is The West Wing.

However, my reaction to television has recently undergone an enormous change thanks to a limited series (available on Netflix): Adolescence.

This series has much to recommend it. To begin with, it consists of only four one-hour episodes. While it seems to start with a fairly familiar scenario – police invading a home and accusing a 14-year-old boy of murder – it follows a far less obvious plot development. Each episode shows the impact of the murder investigation on the boy, his family, his school and the investigators. The result is not only fascinating as a study of people involved in crisis, but a storyline which raises a multitude of concerns about the justice system, the world of today’s adolescents, approaches to parenting and intergenerational relationships. It offers stimulus for many hours of dinner conversation around the kitchen table.

As if all this were not enough, the series has been filmed with astonishing bravura.

Each episode is filmed in one uninterrupted take or shot. Technically this almost defies belief, requiring as it does perfect timing for each complicated story component, as well as amazing camera work. It is a measure of the difficulty of this that some episodes took over 50 attempts before a satisfactory one could be completed. Of course, the film makes enormous demands on all involved. Most obvious to the viewer are the demands placed on the actors, whose skills are tested to the limit. What is truly impressive is that the entire cast, including several young actors, acquit themselves superbly, lending the film even greater authenticity.

In comparison, Adolescence makes the 90-minute one-shot Russian Ark look simple, though it is, of course, in itself a magnificent achievement.

Nor is this use of intricate camera work simply a filmic gimmick. The result of the approach to the filming is that it draws the viewer into the narrative in a unique fashion, forcing one to be an intimate part of the action and causing one constantly to assess for oneself and personally the social and emotional concerns of each development.

Over the past few years, I have referred to and quoted author Emily Stimpson Chapman several times. I originally discovered her essays during COVID, on the online platform Blessed Is She, and subsequently began to follow her on Instagram and Substack. I own a few of her books, and I have used some of the writing published in her weekly newsletter Through a Glass Darkly in my work with students and parents.

Emily Stimpson Chapman was educated in theology at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. She has written several Catholic books of her own and has likewise co-authored numerous books with other Catholic authors, including Scott Hahn. While her education and credentials are impressive, what has always drawn me most to Stimpson Chapman is her personable style.

She writes with knowledge and insight and does not waver on, or attempt to disguise, the truths of Catholic teaching. However, her gift for writing in a relational format — weaving personal vulnerability, real-life situations, and even humour into her work — makes readers feel as though they are sitting around the kitchen table with a friend.

Therefore, when I first heard of her work on a Bible for children, sponsored by Word on Fire, I was pleased that Stimpson Chapman’s knowledge and relational writing style would reach a younger crowd. I was intrigued to see how she would use her gift of language to present the Word to children while supporting parents as their children’s first catechists.

As the launch of the Bible drew nearer, my Catholic email and Instagram sources continued to pique my interest in this project. It is advertised as “the first distinctly Catholic story Bible that tells the entire story of salvation history through beautiful illustrations, quotes from the voices of the Church, and typological references that show how the Old and New Testaments are connected.”

I was curious about the unique style of this Bible. Additionally, the glimpses of Diana Renzina’s artwork that I saw online were outstanding. A close friend was also interested in this Bible and ordered one for each of us from Holy Family Catholic Gift and Book Store in Langley. Mine, she told me lovingly, was an early Christmas gift from her. I could not think of a better gift.

The Story of All Stories is marketed as a “Catholic Bible for children ages seven to thirteen.” While it certainly appeals to this age group and prepares them to read the actual Bible, I would like to clarify that The Story of All Stories is truly “the story for all ages” and “the story for all people.” In short, it is catholic in every sense of the word.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” With those words from the Lord’s Prayer, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is framing a new national reflection on food insecurity.

On the World Day of the Poor, Nov. 16,the bishops released Our Daily Bread: Food Security and the Call to Solidarity, a 10-page pastoral letter issued through the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace.

The document begins by grounding its message in the Gospel petition for daily sustenance, describing it as a cry heard from people facing rising food costs in Canada and severe food insecurity around the world. Citing the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development, the bishops note that “more than 1 in 10 people are suffering severe food insecurity” and that more than three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. They add that even in an affluent country like Canada, more households are struggling to access nutritious food.

The letter is organized around three themes – Solidarity, Harmony, and Harvest. Under Solidarity, the bishops quote St. John Paul II’s definition of solidarity as “a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good.”

The letter cites the teaching of St. Paul VI and Pope Francis on the structural causes of poverty and highlights practical responses such as reducing food waste, simplifying consumption, choosing local produce, and supporting measures that improve the financial circumstances of households with low incomes. The letter cites research from the University of Toronto’s PROOF program, which studies policy approaches to reduce food insecurity, to show how it inadequate access to food declines when low-income families receive additional income.

The bishops also note that food security in Canada is connected to housing affordability and emphasize the importance of a just wage, quoting St. John Paul II’s statement that a just wage is the key measure of whether a socioeconomic system is functioning justly. They further warn that food insecurity is often worsened by conflict, displacement, environmental harm, and damage to local food systems.

In the section on Harmony, the letter encourages Catholics to renew their relationship with the land. It points to the growth of community gardens and sustainable agricultural practices as hopeful signs of stewardship and highlights the value of innovations that increase food production without degrading the environment. Drawing on Psalm 65, the bishops offer thanks for the work of farmers and harvesters who help sustain creation’s gifts.

Under Harvest, the bishops reaffirm the “universal destination of the goods of the earth” and stress that food is not merely another commodity.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Stephen A. Hero of Prince Albert, Sask., as the eighth Archbishop of Edmonton, succeeding Archbishop Richard Smith, who became Archbishop of Vancouver in May.

The announcement came just days after the Nov. 17 announcement of Father Susai Jesu, OMI, as the new Archbishop of Keewatin-Le Pas in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In a letter to the clergy and faithful of Edmonton, Archbishop-Designate Hero said he was “humbled and grateful for the trust placed in me to take up this new mission in the Church and to serve in a community that is already close to my heart.” He will be installed on Jan. 23 , 2026, at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton.

Archbishop-Designate Hero, 56, is a native of Lachine, Que., and moved to Edmonton at age 10. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Edmonton in 2000 after studies at the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission, B.C., and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He later obtained a licentiate in liturgical theology from Sant’Anselmo.

He served as an assistant pastor in Edmonton parishes, as vocations director, and then joined the formation team at St. Joseph Seminary in Edmonton. He became vice-rector in 2010 and rector in 2012, teaching spirituality, liturgy, and sacraments at Newman Theological College. Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Prince Albert in 2021.

In his message to the Diocese of Prince Albert, he expressed sadness at leaving, thanking parishioners, clergy, and religious and, referencing the North Saskatchewan River, noted the “river that flows from Edmonton to Prince Albert” as a reminder of their shared connection and “the same grace of God that gives us life.” He becomes diocesan administrator of Prince Albert until his installation in Edmonton.

His episcopal motto, Deus solus (God alone), comes from Psalm 86:10 and reflects his conviction that God must remain at the centre of Christian life. His updated coat of arms will incorporate the heraldic insignia of an archbishop, including the archiepiscopal cross and 10 tassels on each side. A black field signifies the finiteness of creation; A gold saltire cross marks Christ’s saving death and resurrection; turtledoves evoke St. Joseph and his Temple offering; and 12 stars represent Our Lady and the hope of eternal glory.

Father Paul Kavanagh, administrator of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, welcomed the appointment on behalf of clergy, religious, and faithful, calling the new archbishop “a gift from God” and assuring him of prayers and support as he returns home.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV fulfilled a promise made by the late Pope Francis to return to Canada’s Indigenous communities artifacts — including an Inuit kayak, masks, moccasins and etchings — that have been held by the Vatican for more than 100 years.

The pope gave 62 artifacts to the leaders of the Canadian bishops’ conference Nov. 15, the Vatican and the bishops’ conference said in a joint statement.

The bishops “will proceed, as soon as possible, to transfer these artifacts to the National Indigenous Organizations,” which will ensure they are “reunited with their communities of origin,” said a separate statement from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

‘Concrete sign of dialogue’

Pope Leo “desires that this gift represent a concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity,” the joint statement said. “This is an act of ecclesial sharing, with which the Successor of Peter entrusts to the Church in Canada these artifacts, which bear witness to the history of the encounter between faith and the cultures of the indigenous peoples.”

The artifacts, which came from different First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities, “are part of the patrimony received on the occasion of the Vatican Missionary Exhibition of 1925, encouraged by Pope Pius XI during the Holy Year, to bear witness to the faith and cultural richness of peoples,” the joint statement said.

“Sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries between 1923 and 1925,” it said, “these artifacts were subsequently combined with those of the Lateran Ethnologic Missionary Museum, which then became the ‘Anima Mundi’ Ethnological Museum of the Vatican Museums.”

Indigenous asked for years for their return

Members of Canada’s Indigenous communities have been asking for years that the items be returned. In the spring of 2022, when community representatives visited the Vatican for meetings with Pope Francis before his trip to Canada, they visited the Vatican Museums and were given a private tour of the collection.

In 2023, the Vatican did something similar, giving the Orthodox Church of Greece three marble fragments from the Parthenon in Athens; the church then gave the marbles to the government.

Pope Francis addressed artifacts in 2023

Speaking to reporters in April 2023, Pope Francis had said the Canadian artifacts would be returned.

“This is the Seventh Commandment: if you have stolen something, you must give it back,” he said.

TORONTO — A survey jointly released by the Cardus think tank and the Angus Reid Institute on Nov. 6 indicates 18 per cent of 5,000 surveyed Canadians identify as religiously committed, significantly less than the 37 per cent of the 5,000 polled Americans.

Respondents who self-categorized as religiously committed are more likely to believe in God, pray, read sacred texts and, perhaps most distinguishably, regularly attend liturgical services.

Participants who labelled themselves as privately faithful — 27 per cent of Americans and 19 per cent of Canadians — on Cardus’ Spectrum of Spirituality are likely to engage in worship practices in their own home but are skeptical of organized religion.

The 44 per cent of Canadians and 27 per cent of Americans designated as spiritually uncertain “express doubts over the existence of God or life after death, but do not rule it out.” Notably, 77 per cent of this Canadian segment “say they have feelings of faith and spirituality.”

Nineteen per cent of Canadians branded themselves as non-believers in contrast to 10 per cent of Americans.

This year marked the first time since the Spectrum of Spirituality index was established in 2017 that Cardus and the Angus Reid Institute sought data from Americans in order to present a cross-border comparison of religiosity.

“I don’t think the overall numbers are a surprise,” said Ray Pennings, the executive vice president and a co-founder of Cardus, in reaction to the data. “We’ve known for some time that if you count religious activities, typically in the States on a per capita basis, you end up with almost double the rate that you do in Canada. What I thought was interesting was that the nature of that religious activity, both in terms of the satisfaction it was providing people as well as their participation in public life, is very different in the two countries.”

Pennings alluded to how 70 per cent of Americans strongly or moderately agree with the statement “I’m public about my religion and faith and don’t mind other people knowing I’m a believer,” as opposed to 56 per cent of Canadians.

More strikingly, 56 per cent of Americans believe that individuals who hold public positions should “feel free to speak and act based on their religious beliefs,” a sharp difference from the 66 per cent of Canadians who indicated we should “keep God and religion completely out of public life.”

Correspondingly, 64 per cent of Canadians either strongly or moderately disagree that “religion is very important to my day-to-day life,” while 58 per cent of Americans strongly or moderately agree.

This chasm also bears out with 32 per cent of Americans indicating they feel God’s presence every day, compared to 44 per cent of Canadians who stated they never feel God’s presence.

For months now, friends, parishioners, and longtime companions of the Focolare Movement have been asking the same question: “Is the Focolare closing in Vancouver?”

The honest answer is both yes and no.

After a long period of discernment, our small community of consecrated members has been assigned to serve in countries where the need is greater. That means the Focolare house in Coquitlam — opened in 2001 and home to many years of shared prayer, formation, and daily life — will temporarily close.

But the Focolare itself is not disappearing. Far from it.

Long before any consecrated members arrived, families and individuals throughout the Lower Mainland were already living the “Word of Life,” the spiritual practice drawn from the Gospel that shapes our way of following Christ. When we consecrated members arrived, we simply found people already walking the path of unity.

Over the years, some of us worked within the Archdiocese of Vancouver — in PREP, in parish bookkeeping, and in a variety of ministries. Others taught, served, or accompanied the movement’s young people. Our work was not dramatic, but it was steady: building relationships, offering formation, and trying — imperfectly but sincerely — to live the spirituality of unity in ordinary places.

The heart of the Focolare is the desire expressed by Jesus in John 17:21: “That all may be one.” That mission does not require a house; it requires people committed to living the Gospel wherever they are.

And that is already happening.

This October, families gathered at All Saints Parish in Coquitlam for Mariapolis Day. Monthly family meetings continue around the region, with children’s programs held at the same time. Word of Life groups meet regularly, both in person and on Zoom. Many members are active in their parishes, serving in ministries that quietly strengthen the whole Church.

The closing of our house simply means that the charism is now being lived in living rooms, parish halls, classrooms, workplaces, and around kitchen tables — which is precisely where it is meant to flourish. Chiara Lubich, our foundress, described the “great attraction of modern times” as the ability to reach contemplation while “mingling with everyone, one person alongside others.” Vancouver is full of such places.

Our communities may look different for a time, but the spirituality of unity continues wherever people choose to love first, build bridges, forgive, and work for the common good. In neighbourhoods, at schools, at work, and in parish life, members continue to be the “glue” that brings people together.

If anything, this transition is an invitation to return to the roots of our charism: living the Gospel in simple, concrete ways, trusting that even small acts of unity can strengthen the whole body of Christ.

One of Canada’s leading anti-euthanasia physicians is warning about a little-known Health Canada recommendation that would require doctors and nurse practitioners to raise the possibility of euthanasia with patients they believe might be agreeable to — and eligible for — Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

Vancouver family physician Will Johnston, head of B.C.’s Euthanasia Resistance Coalition, said implementing Health Canada’s Model Practice Standard for MAiD, published in 2023, would coerce medical professionals and lead to a troubling rise in euthanasia deaths.

“Whoever is in charge of ‘Death Canada,’ as I’ll call them, seems to have forgotten the promises that were made to the medical community when euthanasia was first proposed — that no one would be forced to become complicit in it,” Johnston said in an interview. 

“And now they’re simply reneging. They’re violating that promise by insisting on compelled speech.”

A Health Canada spokesperson said in an email to The B.C. Catholic that the Model Practice Standard for MAiD was developed by a task group convened in September 2022. Members were chosen for their expertise in MAiD practice and professional regulation.

“Draft versions of the model were subject to a thorough review and extensive feedback from the majority of regulatory bodies across the country, health professional associations, clinicians, as well as provinces and territories,” said media-relations officer Karine LeBlanc.

While Health Canada issued the guidance, the federal government cannot compel provinces or health authorities to adopt it. A limited review by The B.C. Catholic found no evidence that any public agency has done so.

Meanwhile, Vancouver’s Catholic health authority, Providence Health Care, explicitly prohibits its employees from initiating a discussion about MAiD.

“We don’t proactively mention MAiD as an option to consider,” Providence spokesman Shaf Hussain said in an email earlier this year. “We never initiate an offer of MAiD.”

By contrast, there is widespread anecdotal evidence from the public system that doctors and nurses do initiate such discussions.

After Canada legalized MAiD in 2016 — and expanded eligibility in 2020 to include people not dying but suffering from incurable diseases — numerous reports have surfaced of patients being pressured about euthanasia options.

The B.C. Catholic first exposed the problem in a 2021 investigation, Patients being offered euthanasia contrary to Fraser Health policy, B.C. Catholic investigation finds.