Tipping Points In Canada, In The Church & In The World

Laughing Stock

These days the view of the Church and the world from the parish doorstep is rather bleak. Many nations are rapidly falling apart because of ridiculous policies instigated by ideologues bent on suppressing anything that exposes their attempts to control not only the political narrative but also diminish man's inalienable freedoms proper to man's dignity.

The Surly Left

Those who dance to the left characterize anything near the centre as right wing, such is their fear and loathing of common sense and the centre. Even liberal pundits such as Bill Maher have become concerned about his leftist cousins' drift into extremism and the threat to society.

• https://globalnews.ca/news/10423689/bill-maher-canada-us-real-time/

Comedians have been quick to expose left wing threats to freedom of speech. Many no longer book shows on college campuses because of woke extremists' attacks.

When a person holds what the left holds today, everything to the right appears extreme. Any challenge to the various trendy social(ist) policies tends to result in ideologues responding with insults and violent actions against witnesses to human dignity and common sense.

57. Regarding gender theory, whose scientific coherence is the subject of considerable debate among experts, the Church recalls that human life in all its dimensions, both physical and spiritual, is a gift from God. This gift is to be accepted with gratitude and placed at the service of the good. Desiring a personal self-determination, as gender theory prescribes, apart from this fundamental truth that human life is a gift, amounts to a concession to the age-old temptation to make oneself God, entering into competition with the true God of love revealed to us in the Gospel.

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2024/04/08/240408c.html 

A Litany

We in Canada, largely as the result of misinformed and spiritually lazy Catholics voting for a lapsed Catholic whose narcissistic behaviour exposes his priorities, i.e., his placement of himself above God and country, are enduring oppression of a "liberal" kind.

Justin Trudeau in blackface

Canada's economy is tanking. The national debt has grown from $619.3 billion (2015-16) to $1.87 trillion (2021) during these Trudeau years. The social fabric of our nation is shredded.

1. Apartment and housing rental costs have ballooned, doubling and tripling in recent years. https://globalnews.ca/news/10167093/housing-affordability-bank-canada-index/
2. Food and fuel costs have been rollercoasting and now, in the wake of the recently introduced carbon tax driving inflation, food and fuel are astonishingly expensive.
3. Farmers are suffering. Free speech is frequently under assault. Just ask the truckers who dared to defy Ottawa's oppressive actions, or academics who dare to challenge woke policies at their universities. It doesn't help that almost all of our national media organizations are Trudeau lackies unwilling to ask the tough questions nor expose the shabby actions of a government that invoked the Emergencies Act, previously known as the The War Measures Act, to suppress legitimate peaceful protest. Meanwhile, supporters of a Palestinian terrorist group - Hamas - so designated by the Canadian Criminal Code (2002), block commerce, vandalize buildings and inflict violence on passersby with impunity.
4. Mental illness afflicts an ever growing number of young people who are susceptible to public institutional influences that are robbing them of health and well-being. Without exaggeration, suicide is the new pandemic. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/suicide-prevention/suicide-canada.html
5. The government, aided by a socialist opposition party in a laughable coalition, has been acting in a dictatorial manner. The same Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has repeatedly been exposed for conflicts of interest and illegal actions. His policies have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars (WP).
1. Elbowgate, 2016
2. Trudeau cash-for-access scandal, 2016
3. Aga Khan scandal, 2017
4. Cultural appropriation, 2018
5. Trudeau Grope Gate, 2018
6. SNC-Lavalin affair, 2019 
7. 2016 SNC Lavalin election donation, 2019
8. Blackface scandal, 2019
9. WE Charity controversy, 2020
10. Sole Source Contracts, 2020
11. Chinese government interference in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections
12. 6000$/night hotel rooms, 2022
13. RCMP investigation interference, 2022
14. ArriveCAN app, 2022
15. Sister In-Law Ethic Commissioner, 2023
16. Yaroslav Hunka scandal, 2023
6. Canada's once laudable health system is in a complete shambles.
1. Emergency room visits typically result in wait times of 6 to 8 hours depending on the seriousness of the injury.
2. Emergency room corridors are congested with overflow patients.
3. Most people do not have a family doctor.
4. Wait times for surgery often result in patients dying before treatment can begin, or patients are pressured to access MAID (Medical Assistance In Dying, i.e., euthanasia).
5. In attempt to enhance access to medical services, one province has established relationships with a bordering state, i.e., BC and Washington State, so that cancer patients have access to timely and better healthcare. https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023HLTH0065-000740
7. Immigration and associated challenges, problems exacerbated by a lack of leadership, is no better than in the United States. Newcomers are given cushy hotel rooms and allowances while citizens end up on the street. That said, even recent immigrants are realizing the nonviability of living in Canada and are returning to their countries of origin. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-surging-cost-living-fuels-reverse-immigration-2023-12-09/ https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadians-moving-abroad-due-to-lack-of-affordability
8. The phrase 'wasteful spending' hardly captures the degree of incompetence and willful mismanagement of our nation's resources demonstrated by the Liberal Government of Canada.

The above attacks on life and liberty manifest the internal rot brought about by a loss of a sense of Judeo-Christian values that once allowed us to care for one another without coddling each other with pseudo-compassion and diversions from the truth.

So, that's Canada.

The evidence of the preceding paragraphs might be understood as an attempt to acknowledge that which might be called the rise of neo-paganism and/or neofascism that is comforted and disguised under the blankets of liberalism, globalism and social justice.

Canadian Politician à la Javier Milei?

The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, bilingual Conservative Leader of the Opposition, has much potential. Poilievre and his younger brother were raised in a modest home. His parents, both school teachers, adopted Pierre and his younger brother both born to the same teenage mom. Poilievre's wife, Venezuelan by birth, is a Canadian political staffer and an online magazine publisher. They are raising their two children to speak English, French and Spanish.

Promoting common sense approaches to the economy, healthcare and education, national security and defence and international relations, Poilievre has been an effective thorn in the side of the government because his is a voice of reason and hope for Canadians desperate for relief from the Trudeau Party's elitist condescension, fiscal and moral carelessness and empty promises.

Because of his modest roots, Poilievre understands what elitists cannot. His priorities are aligned with people's real and pressing needs, and he has the intellectual and moral wherewithal to stand up to globalist ideologues attempting to recreate the diabolical communist mess of the 20th Century, a mess that resulted in the oppression and death of tens of millions of people.

Pierre Poilievre is a realist. He is part of a team representative of Canada's varied population, a team that is equally enthusiastic for Canada and our fellow citizens. His enthusiasm for Charter rights and freedoms stands in stark contrast to the limp acknowledgement of the same by the current Government and its allies.

If the above sounds like an endorsement, it is. More than that, however, it identifies the problems to which faithless Catholics have contributed, and it is an exhortation to abandon the crass attitudes and agendas of a man - Trudeau and his political party - who purports to stand for justice yet multiplies serious injustices, especially injustices toward the physically and mentally vulnerable.

We see many instances of worrisome behaviours occurring outside and inside the Church, behaviours that defy reason in obvious ways. The bridge ahead is washed out. Sadly, too many people have chosen to be ignorant passengers riding a slow moving train, oblivious to the dangers that lie ahead.

We pray for our political leaders, and we pray for the protection of our children and young people. Holy Michael, archangel: pray for us!

Mirror Mirror

Why cite the following news articles? The challenges to common sense, to health and to humanity experienced in Canada, are shared throughout the world and in the Church. The following sampling, though brief, exposes something of the insidious nature of the philosophical, political and economic policies purporting to transport people to a better future.

Source: Catholic Herald

https://catholicherald.co.uk/cardinal-muller-takes-the-stage-despite-police-trying-to-close-national-conservatism-conference-as-political-crackdown-escalates-in-brussels/

Dramatic scenes in Brussels today at the National Conservatism conference offered a harrowing harbinger of what a police state in the heart of Europe might look like.

After the conference began, local Brussels police suddenly arrived at the Claridge building hosting the conference, and proceeded to set up a barricades in front of the event venue, preventing any further attendees, journalists or speakers from accessing the event, reports local media Brussels Signal.

[...]

As the situation escalated, eventually Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo felt compelled to speak out:

“What happened at the Claridge today is unacceptable,” the Belgium Prime Minister said on X. “Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy but can never overrule the Belgian constitution guaranteeing the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly since 1830. Banning political meetings is unconstitutional. Full stop.”

The planned appearance of German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller at the conference managed to go ahead, though he was reportedly visibly shocked by the police standing a few feet away.

“This is like Nazi Germany,” the Cardinal said, according to Rod Dreher, the best-selling author who was also attending the conference.

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Source: Catholic World Report

https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/04/15/cardinal-sarah-says-contemporary-church-is-experiencing-temptation-of-atheism/

“Many Western prelates are tetanized [paralyzed] by the idea of opposing the world. They dream of being loved by the world; they’ve lost the desire to be a sign of contradiction,” the Guinean-born cardinal (Robert Sarah) lamented during his address to NECC members on the second day of their 49th Plenary Assembly at the headquarters of NECC in Mvolyé in the Archdiocese of Yaoundé.

“I believe that the Church of our time is experiencing the temptation of atheism,” he said. “Not intellectual atheism, but that subtle and dangerous state of mind: fluid and practical atheism. The latter is a dangerous disease, even if its initial symptoms seem benign.”

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Source: CWR

https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/04/09/dignitas-infinita-and-finite-weirdness/

“Pope Francis won’t ever speak ex cathedra,” Fernandez said. “He won’t want to create a new dogma of the faith—not for anything—nor [will he make] a definitive declaration,” Fernandez said. “I hope I’m not mistaken,” he said, “but I am just about 100% sure.”

“So,” Fernandez continued, “will it have served nothing, that Pope Francis should have been for eleven years the Supreme Pontiff?”

Make of that what you will.

Basically, Dignitas infinita should go squarely in the “W” (weird) column for Catholics worried that it was going to be the seal of moral revolution in the Church’s official teaching on major life issues. Whatever Dignitas infinita is, it isn’t that.

At the presser, Fernandez declared several times that Fiducia supplicans basically doesn’t count, or at least isn’t worth fighting over. That, too, is a major victory Fernandez handed to the folks who didn’t like it. Fernandez’s fumbling was not anywhere near Biden-level befuddlement, but on the whole his performance was not exactly a masterclass in rhetoric, either.

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Source: Catholic Herald

https://catholicherald.co.uk/finnish-mp-to-stand-trial-for-third-time-for-tweeting-bible-verse/

Former government minister and sitting Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen will stand trial a third time for her Bible-verse tweet, the Supreme Court of Finland has confirmed.

The State prosecutor appealed the case despite the Christian grandmother of 11 being acquitted unanimously of “hate speech” charges before both the Helsinki District Court, and the Court of Appeal.

Räsänen, who previously served as Finland’s Minister of the Interior, stands criminally charged for sharing her faith-based views on marriage and sexual ethics, in a 2019 tweet, and in a 2004 pamphlet which she wrote for her church, centred on the Biblical text, “male and female he created them”.

Räsänen said she had a “peaceful mind” and is “ready to continue to defend free speech and freedom of religion before the Supreme Court, and if need be, also before the European Court of Human Rights”.

She said: “In my case the investigation has lasted almost five years, has involved untrue accusations, several long police interrogations totalling more than 13 hours, preparations for court hearings, the District Court hearing, and a hearing in the Court of Appeal.

“This was not just about my opinions, but about everyone’s freedom of expression. I hope that with the ruling of the Supreme Court, others would not have to undergo the same ordeal.

“I have considered it a privilege and an honour to defend freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right in a democratic state.”

The prosecution is demanding tens of thousands of Euros in fines and insisting that Räsänen’s and Pohjola’s publications be censored.

Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, supporting Räsänen’s legal defence said: “This is a watershed case in the story of Europe’s creeping censorship.

“In a democratic Western nation in 2024, nobody should be on trial for their faith – yet throughout the prosecution of Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola, we have seen something akin to a ‘heresy’ trial, where Christians are dragged through court for holding beliefs that differ from the approved orthodoxy of the day.

“The state’s insistence on continuing this prosecution after almost five long years, despite such clear and unanimous rulings from the lower courts is alarming.

“The process is the punishment in such instances, resulting in a chill on free speech for all citizens observing.

“ADF International will continue to stand alongside Räsänen and Pohjola every step of the way as they face their next day in court. Their right to speak freely is everyone’s right to speak freely.”

Police investigations against Räsänen started in June 2019.

As an active member of the Finnish Lutheran church, she had addressed the leadership of her church on Twitter/X and questioned its official sponsorship of the LGBT event Pride 2019, accompanied by an image of Bible verses from the New Testament book of Romans.

Following this tweet, further investigations against Räsänen were launched, going back to a church pamphlet Räsänen wrote 20 years ago.

Over several months, Räsänen endured a total of thirteen hours of police interrogations about her Christian beliefs – including being frequently asked by the police to explain her understanding of the Bible.

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Is war coming? Some say a global conflict is inevitable. Regional skirmishes risk boiling over due to other nations taking sides and fueling conflict. There is little choice, it seems, but to pushback against warmongering states whose citizens, at least those with an ounce of common sense, have little or no effective say to counter their leaders' hostile ambitions.

• Israel (largely supported by Western nations) and Iran (supported by Russia and North Korea) are firing scores of missiles at each other on what seems a weekly basis. 
• Russia (supported by China and North Korea) and Ukraine (supported by Western nations) are locked in an epic struggle.
• China is on a quest to achieve regional domination over Taiwan and nations bordering the South China Sea, not to mention its attempts to project power through ambitious investment and infrastructure schemes throughout Africa and the South Pacific.
• North Korea manufactures and tests long range missiles toward South Korea and Japan, and issues near daily threats of war.
• Africa is rife with Islamist attacks on entire villages.
• Violent protests and individual attacks on native European citizens - in Britain and Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, and throughout Scandinavia - by Middle Eastern immigrants are a daily occurance.

St Matthew 24:6-13

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the sufferings.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved.