The Government of Canada is a step closer to making its Office of Religious Freedom a reality. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird held a roundtable discussion with religious leaders on Monday. The planned Office of Religious Freedom will be located in the Ottawa headquarters of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. There, Baird welcomed nearly 100 religious leaders, ...read more

A martyr from the Dachau concentration camp has been beatified — and Pope Benedict has entrusted to him, and all the martyrs of concentration camps, the cause for peace. Speaking at his Sunday Angelus, the Holy Father gave thanks for the “heroic witness” of Fr. Alois Andritzki. The 28-year old priest was accused by the ...read more

The Vatican is among those watching the crisis unfold in Egypt. Nearly 100 people have been killed in a week of political demonstrations. But Catholic News Service’s John Thavis explains the Holy See isn’t likely to offer any immediate comment on the situation: To download Flash Player please click here ...read more

As you know, in this time of Advent, the weeks leading up to Christmas, we prepare to welcome our Lord into our hearts.  It is a time of reflection, of penance, but also of subdued joy.  For some though, it can be a difficult time, particularly when December 25th arrives.  The joy of Christmas may ...read more

Prayer Vigil to commemorate Iraqi Christians Victims St. Michael’s Cathedral Archdiocese of Toronto November 11, 2010 Address by Msgr. Yousif Habash, Syrian Catholic Bishop of the United States and Canada - [translation from Arabic vy Rita Sawaya] Msgr. Yousif Habash bishop of the Syro-Catholic communities of the United States and Canada issued a spontaneous emotional speech in Arabic, addressing the Iraqi people in Iraq and throughout the world. The vigil was organized and presided by Mgr. Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto. Over 500 people including 20 Christians religious leaders attended the prayer vigil for peace, held last November 11 at St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto on the day of commemoration of victims of Iraqi Syro-Catholic terrorist attack of October 31st in the Cathedral of Sayyidat an-Najat of Baghdad. The vigil was rebroadcast Saturday November 20th, 2010 on 20H30 on Salt and Light. Here is Mgr. Yousif Habash's moving speech in Arabic translated to English by Rita Sawaya. ...read more

Last month on Perspectives, S+L reported from the annual plenary assembly of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Of particular interest to pro-life and social justice advocates, the agenda included a report by the bishops’ Ad Hoc committee on Development and Peace (CCODP). CCODP is the official international development agency of the Catholic Church in ...read more

A Synod convoked to Restore Order in the Tower of Babel The Synod of Bishops for the Middle East was convoked to give hope not only to the Catholic Churches of the Middle East, but to all the peoples of the Middle East: Christians, Muslims and Jews. It is a unique historic opportunity to restore order in today's Tower of Babel. ...read more

Religious sectarianism among communities is prevalent in countries like Israel, Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, a socio-economic divide between two religious groups is something we would rarely, if ever, see in western society. Canadians, for example, enjoy a religious freedom unimaginable in a country like Iraq. So what happens when this kind of divide does happen ...read more

Martyrs’ Shrine is a popular destination for many faithful from different cultural backgrounds. On Saturday, it was the Irish who ventured out to Midland, Ontario for Mass and a day of prayer. It was for the annual Irish Peace Garden commemoration. It was ten years ago that the Peace Garden was erected at the Shrine. ...read more

Politics are something that I would rarely associate myself with and a section of the newspaper that I’d normally use to wrap up my valuables rather than read. Working in media and television, I have been exposed to politics on a local, national and international scale. I was in the room last year at Queen’s ...read more