Alberta bishops’ decision over graphic signs could affect national March for Life

Alberta bishops’ decision over graphic signs could affect national March for Life

Cardinal Marc Ouellet speaking at last year's March for Life. Photo courtesy of CCNArchbishop Prendergrast of Ottawa says march will go on as planned
By Deborah Gyapong
Canadian Catholic News

OTTAWA (CCN)--The Alberta bishops’ decision to pull out of the Edmonton March for Life could have an impact on Ontario and Quebec bishops’ participation in the National March for Life also set for May 12.

A spokeswoman for Campaign Life Coalition, organizers of the national March, expressed disappointment at the Alberta bishops’ decision of the May 12 March in Edmonton.

“They should be there, supporting, participating and leading,” said Mary Ellen Douglas. But she noted that the fact the Alberta bishops were also involved in organizing the march might have been part of the problem.

She said that a pro-life march is not a Catholic event, as such, so it should not be run by bishops.

Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith said the bishops made the decision because organizers could not guarantee no one would show pictures of aborted babies at the gathering.

Archbishop Smith said he finds the pictures offensive “because they do not honour the dignity of human remains and the dignity of the human person.”

“They have to realize that when the March is taking place, the organizers have no control over the freedom of the people on the street to show signs or to demonstrate,” Douglas said. “They can control their march; they can’t control everyone else.”

Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast said that the national march should continue as planned.

“It may be that the Alberta bishops’ decision will have an impact on attendance by Ontario and Quebec bishops here in Ottawa but the issue has not been brought to my attention by bishops thus far.”

He noted the Ontario bishops have a plenary assembly in Toronto in early April.

“Personally I’m not sure the graphic signs help, so I just look away,” Archbishop Prendergast said. “But the National March is a big umbrella gathering organized by lay people, and they have many approaches to defending life.”

“I believe that the bishops’ support is important and each bishop, like each individual Catholic, needs to make a personal decision about how and in what circumstances to stand up for life, and whether they are compromised by one or other aspect of the March, including, for example, whether they are comfortable with the heckling of the counter-demonstrators.”