In a pastoral letter, Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary, Alberta, described government proposals to accommodate transgender students as evidence of “the madness of relativism” and therefore “must be rejected”.

The pastoral letter was a reaction to the government’s decision that students who identify themselves as ‘transgender’ must be allowed to dress, and use the bathrooms of, the opposite sex in schools.

Mgr Henry said the rules “show no evidence of consultation with or sensitivity to the Catholic community”. He outlined the fundamental teachings of the Church regarding human sexuality. His conclusion was a reference to a decision of the Supreme Court of Canada which stated that the government does not have the right to tell the Church how to speak about the faith.

‘Do not give up hope’

Addressing migrants last Sunday, Pope Francis said: “Today marks the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which, in the context of the Holy Year of Mercy, is also celebrated as the Jubilee of Migrants.

“Dear migrants and refugees, each of you carries a history, a culture, precious values; and often, unfortunately, experiences of poverty, oppression and fear. Your presence in this square is a sign of hope in God.

“Do not allow yourselves to be robbed of hope and the joy of living, resulting from the experience of divine mercy, also thanks to the people who greet you and help you.”

US bishops’ appeal against deportation

In a letter against the deportation of migrants to Central America, Eusebio Elizondo, Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle and chairman of the US bishops’ committee on Migration, and Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange, California, and chairman of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, wrote:

“We disagree with the underlying rationale behind… sending children and families back to the dangerous environment they fled [as it will not] will serve as a deterrent for other children and families who are considering fleeing Central America.

“To send migrant children and families back to their home countries would put many of them in grave danger because they would face threats of violence and for some, even death.

“This action contrasts sharply with the statements articulated by President Obama himself in November 2014, namely, that his administration would pursue the deportation of ‘felons, not families; criminals, not children; gang members, not a mom who’s working hard to provide for her kids’.”

Cardinal praises Bowie

Following the death of David Bowie, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, wrote an appreciation in The Tablet describing the rock star’s “secret and implicit spirituality”.

Ravasi said that for many years Bowie struggled with questions about God and the afterlife. “He would confess, with a smile on his lips, that as the years went by his questions were fewer but deeper and more painful,” he wrote.

He added: “Bowie’s unique voice managed – even if in a non-churchy way – to make the souls of all those with a restless conscience vibrate.”

Call for Muslims to condemn terrorism

In an interview with Spanish weekly Vida Nueva, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin called upon Muslim leaders to “condemn without ambiguity all acts of terrorism committed in the name of Islam” and to “teach clearly the total incompatibility between violence and religion.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)

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