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The Pope Debate
by monique t
News / September 21, 2006
On Tuesday, CBC's The Current opened with:
Pope Benedict the 16th issued a personal apology to Muslims for a speech implying Islam was prone to violence.
Currently, in response to the accusations of violence, Islamic extremists fire bombed six churches and a nun was shot dead.
Okay--so that settles that debate.
This is The Current.
Satire subsided to a discussion of the Arar Report and reaction to its findings, but part two returned to the Pope:
- An analysis of his controversial comments about Muslim teachings;
- and a debate about the direction the pope seems to be taking the Catholic church.
One of the interviewees was Joanna Manning, a former nun and the author of several books including her latest The Magdalene Moment: A Vision for a New Christianity (published by Raincoast).
Listen to CBC Part 2 of The Current.
Joanna also responded to the Pope's comments on Canadian politics in a recent Toronto Star article, "Pope should stay out of Canadian politics" (Sep. 15, 2006). Her article is in response to Pope Benedict XVI's instruction to the bishops of Ontario to pressure Catholic politicians to vote against gay marriage.
In fact, it has been secular governments worldwide, often in the teeth of virulent opposition from Catholic and other Christian churches, that historically have upheld the equal rights of women, visible minorities and gays and lesbians.
It was only a few years ago that the Catholic bishops of Quebec apologized for their attempts to force Catholic politicians to oppose women's suffrage in the last century.
The debate goes on.
Joanna Manning will be at Word on the Street this Sunday in Toronto.