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Vote Life, Canada! Reviews
Annual Plenary Report of Canada’s Catholic Bishops—Threat to Unborn Children by
Amnesty International Still Rates Low on Priority List
Toronto, ON November 7, 2007/Christian Newswire—“Tragically,
news reports
confirm Amnesty International (AI) has commenced abortion advocacy
internationally,” laments Eric Alcock, President of Vote Life, Canada!“
but Canada’s Bishops maintain their laissez-faire attitude.”
In an August press release, Vote Life, Canada! complained
that ominous indicators of
AI’s plans, like threatening letters from terrorists, surfaced early in 2006. Yet
this new global threat elicited simply a ho-hum “We’ll be disappointed” comment posted
on the CCCB website in July 2006.
A short three months after posting this comment the Bishops
held their 2006
Plenary Assembly which, insists Alcock, “should have been a beehive of
strategic thinking for the Bishops to spearhead a powerful and effective mobilization of
Catholics against the Amnesty move.
Yet official documents released
after the 2006 Plenary Assembly indicate no discussion whatever of the Amnesty
threat. Alcock is at a loss to explain “the tragic blindness and indifference
of the Bishops to this worldwide threat to unborn children.” He notes this
astounding failure was further compounded by the prolonged silence of the
Bishops throughout 2007.
Incredibly, reports Alcock, “even since AI announced its
official new policy in Mexico City in August past—while Bishops
elsewhere in the world have been severing connections
with AI—the Bishops of Canada have been silent on the matter.”
“Their silence still prevails, as it did
in Canada nearly forty
years ago when the abortion door cracked
open in Canada.” Alcock claims the persistent call
from Vote Life, Canada! has been the only
voice on record in Canada holding Bishops accountable for their
negligence in the AI affair.
Finally, last month’s 2007 Plenary
Assembly announced the AI issue as an agenda item. Yet, exclaims
Alcock, “The Bishops seem to be allergic to action when it comes to defending
the Unborn. The item did not garner sufficient concern and consensus from
the totality of Bishops at the Plenary and was referred to
the Permanent Council for later decision!”
Referring to Amnesty International, the CCCB President
was quoted as
saying, “What a paradox that the smallest of human beings – unborn children –
are now being put at risk by those who should be their defenders.”
“Paradox indeed but the irony of this statement obviously escaped
the Bishop,” exclaims Alcock. “Who more than the Bishops of Christ’s Church are
called to defend human life with all their might and influence? And what of
those who take no action—or ineffective action—to stop the killers?”
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