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Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Says Churches Must "Not Get Involved" in Same-Sex Marriage Issue

Unexpected tide of opposition to marriage re-definition causing extreme reaction from Liberal elite

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick January 28, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Liberal government reaction to the unexpected building tide of opposition to its same-sex 'marriage' bill is becoming increasingly extreme. Comments yesterday by Foreign Affairs Minister, Pierre Pettigrew, have revealed a disturbing, almost totalitarian attitude of the government towards Canadians opposing its social engineering plans.

The National Post reports today that Liberal Foreign Affairs Minister, Pierre Pettigrew declared that because Canada has “Separation of Church and State,” the Church is obliged to remain silent on the issue of same-sex unions. “I find that the separation of the Church and the state is one of the most beautiful inventions of modern times,” Pettigrew said. The National Post reported he said that government and churches 'should not get involved in each other’s affairs.’

Christians are reacting with outrage at the suggestion from an elected representative and Cabinet Minister that Christians have no right to influence the formation of Canadian goverment policy.

The Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops (OCCB)today issued an uncharacteristically stern response to Pettigrew's comments. The bishops’ conference has demanded a retraction and called Pettigrew’s comments “extremely irresponsible,” and a violation of freedom and freedom of religion. The statement said, “The separation of church and state is a tool that advocates use when they find religious views to be inconvenient to their political views.”

The statement reads, “They would require people to leave their religious beliefs at the door when they enter public debate. This, of course, contradicts both freedom of religion and freedom of speech. All Canadians have the democratic right to participate in social debate. That is a hallmark of our democratic society.”

The bishops’ statement warns that once the principles of representative democracy and freedom of speech are abandoned in the Liberals’ rush to re-construct Canadian society, no group is safe from silencing. “If religious people are being told today that they cannot participate in the public debate on certain issues, then who will be told the same tomorrow? Will environmentalists be told that there are issues on which they ought not to comment? Will trade unionists be told that they must remain silent on other issues?”

Tom Reilly, the General Secretary of the OCCB said, “The debate should not be chilled by remarks that have no foundation in the Canadian constitution or accepted political practice.”

Pettigrew’s comments come as Muslim, Sikh and Christian organizations across the country, announce that they will be mobilizing their congregations to fight a change to the legal definition of marriage to include homosexual partnerings. Pettigrew said from Fredericton that he would be supporting the upcoming legislation.

Read National Post coverage:
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?...

Contact Minister Pettigrew:
By mail:

House of Commons,
Ottawa, Ontario,
K1A 0A6
Telephone: (613) 995-8872
Fax: (613) 995-9926
E-Mail: Pettigrew.P@parl.gc.ca

Constituency Address
200 - 2348 Jean-Talon Street East
Montreal, Quebec
H2E 1V7
Telephone: (514) 593-6020
Fax: (514) 593-6023

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