To the Honourable Jean Chretien, Prime Minister of Canada
To all Members of the Canadian Parliament and Members of Legislative Assemblies
On the occasion of their International Congress held in Rougemont, Que., Canada, on August 30-September 1, 2003, with representatives from several countries, the Pilgrims of St. Michael of the "Michael" Journal, on behalf of their 50,000 members, unanimously approved the following resolution:
WHEREAS, according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, "Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law";
WHEREAS God has established His eternal Law, the basis of the natural law, which states that the purposes of marriage are the good of the couple, the procreation and the education of children;
WHEREAS marriage, as a union between one man and one woman, has existed across all cultures, in all civilizations, and in all religions for all of recorded history;
WHEREAS there is nothing discriminatory in the present definition of marriage of Canada that gives all the men and women of the country the right to contract a real marriage between a man and a woman, according to the law of the nation, and the order established by God;
WHEREAS marriage is the basic unit of society, the social nucleus in which most children are born and raised;
WHEREAS marriage is a unique and distinct institution that is deeply rooted in our history, culture, and religious traditions;
IN AS MUCH AS city of Sodom was destroyed by fire because its inhabitants practiced homosexuality, that we may also attract a great calamity in defying the laws of God as Sodom did;
WHEREAS Bill C-250 has the intention of modifying the article of criminal code about hate literature, with the intention of prohibiting denunciations against the vice of sodomy, this shameful sin that the teachings of the Church and certain passages in the Bible condemn;
WHEREAS, according to the Bishop of Canada, "It is well known that the Catholic Church teaches unequivocally that sexual behaviour between people of the same sex is morally wrong, and can in no circumstances be approved";
Moved by: Camille Fecteau, of Quebec; Bernard Roy, of Ontario; Emile Daigle, of New Brunswick;
Seconded by: Jocelyne Fecteau-Gagnon, of Quebec; Marie-Jacqueline Potvin, of Montreal; Donat Bernier, of Abitibi;
Be it resolved unanimously:
THAT the Pilgrims of St. Michael categorically oppose the criminal modification of the Law on hate literature and the modification of the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, as the Creator of Heaven and Earth established.
That a copy of this resolution be sent to Prime Minister Jean Chretien, to the Ministers and to all the federal MPs and provincial MLAs, and to the newspapers for publication.
Thérèse Tardif, Secretary Louis Even Institute for Social Justice