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Ontario Premier McGuinty Visits Catholic School After Mocking Catholic Principles, Again

By John Jalsevac

OTTAWA, Ontario, June 14, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In October of 2003 Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty visited a Catholic school only several weeks after publicly contradicting Catholic teaching on a serious matter of faith and morals by coming out in support of homosexual “marriage.”

Now, only several weeks after publicly contradicting Pope Benedict on a similarly serious matter of the Catholic faith, Dalton McGuinty has again made an appearance at a Catholic school.

Last month McGuinty joined the furor of dissident North-American Catholic politicians in criticizing Pope Benedict for supporting the decision of the Catholic Bishops in Mexico, who had told Catholic politicians who vote to legalize abortion that they are excommunicating themselves from the Church.

Reacting to the Pope's matter-of-fact comments on Catholic teaching, Premier McGuinty told reporters, "There are very few political leaders who would allow all of their actions to be informed exclusively by dictates of the church." 

McGuinty added, "There's one particular aspect of myself that is in common with the Pope and (that is) I happen to be Catholic."

The premier visited St. Bernard Catholic School in Ottawa ostensibly to congratulate the school for improving health, fitness and nutrition.

"Building healthy schools means building a healthy future for all our kids," said McGuinty. "I want to congratulate the students and staff at St. Bernard's for working together to make their school community a place where everyone can contribute, where everyone feels welcome and where everyone learns to live an active, healthy life."

Some, however, are wondering why McGuinty was allowed to make a public appearance at a Catholic school considering his very public and persistent opposition to Church teaching on some major issues.

According to a document released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in the summer of 2004, called "Catholics in Political Life", "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." (see the document: http://www.usccb.org/bishops/catholicsinpoliticallife.shtml )

Canada's bishops have not implemented a similar policy despite flagrant public defiance of Church teaching by numerous Canadian Catholic politicians.

Lauren Rocque, the acting Communications Officer of the Ottawa Catholic School board told LifeSiteNews.com that the school board could not address the particular issue of McGuinty’s status as a Catholic at the present time, but did say that the school board believed that McGuinty was simply representing the people of Ontario by visiting the school. “He visited the school with the intent of celebrating the achievement of the students and taking on a challenge of healthy eating and physical activity, so he presented a certificate just to recognize that achievement,” said Rocque.

Suresh Dominic of Campaign Life Catholic told LifeSiteNews.com, “It’s a shame that the Catholic school board would have permitted McGuinty to come to their school only two weeks after making disparaging remarks about Pope Benedict. His pro-abortion and pro-same-sex ‘marriage’ stance should have been enough to refuse him the school premises for a photo-op.”

See related LifeSiteNews.com:

Ontario Liberal Party Leader McGuinty Comes Out in Favour of Homosexual 'Marriage'
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/sep/03091101.html

Ontario Premier McGuinty Visits Catholic School After Mocking Catholic Principles.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/oct/03102108.html

Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty and Liberal MPP George Smitherman (also openly gay), and now Federal Liberal MP Allan Rock have all lobbied the Catholic school board to allow the homosexual prom date.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/apr/02040903.html

Ontario Liberal Party Leader Dalton McGuinty said in December 1996 that he believes "in a woman's right to choose"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1998/oct/98100701.html

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