World
Archbishop Collins elevated
By Catholic Insight staff

Hardcopy Issue Date: February 2012
Online Publication Date: Jan 26, 2012, 14:23

            On January 5, Archbishop Thomas Collins, 64, spiritual leader of the Catholic community of the Archdiocese of Toronto got a message on his BlackBerry in Washington—where he was working on a liturgical translation—to call the nuncio’s office in Ottawa. That call was to inform him that Pope Benedict had chosen him to become a Cardinal of the Church of Rome.

            He and the other 21 new cardinals named to the College of Cardinals will be formally elevated in a ceremony in Rome on February 18 and 19. “He will be the 16^th Canadian cardinal and the fourth in the Toronto archdiocese, the largest diocese in Canada with 1.9 million Catholics and 225 churches, celebrating Mass in more than 30 different languages” (Nat. Post, Jan. 6, 2012). The Toronto Sun and Toronto Star published articles about the honour bestowed on Archbishop Collins. The Globe and Mail remained silent.

Comment:

            Catholic Insight editor, Fr. de Valk suggests this would be an opportunity for Cardinal Collins to take a strong stand against Premier McGuinty and his subversive sex-ed policies, and re-assert the moral high ground of Church and family.

            As the Holy Father said in his New Year address to the Diplomatic Corps in Rome where he emphasized education:

“a similarly essential role in the development of the person is played by educational institutions; these are first instances which cooperate with the family and they can hardly function properly unless they share the same goals as the family. There is a need to implement educational policies, which ensure that schooling is available to everyone, which in addition to promoting the cognitive development of the individual, show concern for a balanced personal growth, including openness to the Transcendent. The Catholic Church has always been particularly active in the field of education and schooling, making a valued contribution alongside that of state institutions. It is my hope that this contribution will be acknowledged and prized also by the legislation of the various nations.

In this perspective, it is clear that an effective education programme also calls for respect for religious freedom. This freedom has individual, collective and institutional dimensions. We are speaking of the first of human rights, for it expresses the most fundamental reality of the person. (Zenit.org, Jan. 9, 2012)