Cardinal Collins urges Canadian Liberal Party leader to reconsider ban on pro-lifers
May 15, 2014
Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto has asked Canada’s Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau to reconsider his decision to bar pro-lifer candidates from the party.
In a May 7 statement, Trudeau said that Liberal candidates must be “resolutely pro-choice,” and would be expected to vote reliably in support of legal abortion. Cardinal Collins urged the political leader to recognize that no one should be “excluded by any party for being faithful to their conscience.”
In an open letter to Trudeau, the cardinal wrote:
Political leaders surely have the right to insist on party unity and discipline in political matters which are within the legitimate scope of their authority. But that political authority is not limitless: it does not extend to matters of conscience and religious faith. It does not govern all aspects of life.
Cardinal Collins reminded Trudeau that under the new policy, Pope Francis would be ineligible to be a Liberal Party candidate. He observed that many Catholics are now members of the Liberal Party, and argued that they should not excluded because of their beliefs.
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