Wednesday, October 6, 2010

THE HERESY HUNTER: THE WINNIPEG STATEMENT: ANALYSIS BY MSGR. FOY



-------------------All things betrayeth thee
-------------------Who betrayest Me.

---------------------------------- Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven



Catholic Insight
, edited by my hero Fr. Alphonse de Valk, has just published a detailed article by Msgr. Vincent Foy chronicling the times leading up to, and the aftereffects of, the Winnipeg Statement - a 1968 issuance by the Canadian Bishops. It is entitled: "Recovering Humanae vitae in Canada" (Catholic Insight, October 2010, vol. xviii, no. 9, pp. 8-14; this piece follows a similar analysis by Msgr. Foy, pubilished twenty-two years ago, "Tragedy at Winnipeg", Challenge, vol. 14, 1988 LINK).

Some extracts:

Few Canadian bishops have prioritized the restoration of Humane vitae. Yet it surely is the most important need of the Church in Canada... It would take a length article to detail the evils fruits of rejecting the charter of life and love called Humane vitae... The contraceptive mentality did not spring up overnight like a mushroom. It was the bad result of several years in which many Canadian bishops listened to dissident theologians rather than the magisterium of the Church.
Here we go...
In 1964 a book was published by Herder and Herder called Contraception and Holiness. It was presented as a "balanced and perceptive declaration of Christian dissent". Among the contributors were three professors of St. Michael's College in Toronto: Gergory Baum, OSA [whose books are published by Novalis and is a bosom buddy of Fr. Thomas Rosica], Stanley Kurtz, CBS, and Leslie Dewart. There was no condemnation by the bishops.

The Toronto Globe and Mail printed an interview with Gregory Baum [whose books are published by Novalis] on April 9, 1966. It was entitled "Catholics may use contraceptives now". He asserted that the traditional norm had become doubtful and therefore could not be imposed. His views got widespread coverage (e.g. Time Magazine, April 22, 1966). I [that is, Msgr. Foy] spoke [about the situation] to Archbishop Pocock [of Toronto] but he saw no need to respond. Unchecked, a year later, Gregory Baum [whose books are published by Novalis] was saying that even if the Pope came out against artificial contraception, his decision would be irrelevant (Globe and Mail, April 12, 1967).

After the encyclical was published on July 29, 1968, dissent in Canada began on July 30th. Like termites, dissent in Canada began destroying Church teaching from within... Gregory Baum [whose books are published by Novalis] said Catholics had the right to dissent... Even the Christian Family Movement, formerly so devoted to implementing Church teaching on marriage, signed a protest against Humanae vitae addressed to Archbishop Pocock of Toronto. It had come under the influence of Gregory Baum [whose books are published by Novalis].

Many bishops, priests and people had been seduced by Gregory Baum's [whose books are published by Novalis] claim that the period before Humane vitae was one of doubt and that a doubtful law did not oblige...

Already many Canadian bishops had given in to the cries of dissenters rather than the voice of the Pope invoking the authority of Christ...
Msgr. Foy even mentions the Blueberry Muffin:
In Canada dissent remains widespread and rarely checked. Note that Sister Joan Chittister, OSB [whose books are published by Novalis], who had rejected magisterial teachings on many issues, was a speaker at the National Catholic Mission for 2010...
Now watch as Monsignor Vincent Foy, 95-year-old master canonist, goes in for the kill:
Cardinal Edouard Gagnon, PSS (1918-2007), one-time head of the Committee of the Family and later President of the Council for the Family, expressed more than once the opinion that those Canadian bishops who supported the Winnipeg Statement were in schism. In truth, by the Winnipeg Statement, Canadian bishops became promoters of mass murder and complicit in turning thousands of sewers into tombs.
KA BOOM !

This article is currently only available in hardcopy form. Eventually, it will be uploaded to the Catholic Insight website. To subscribe to Catholic Insight, the best Catholic magazine in Canada, go here.


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THE WINNIPEG STATEMENT: ANALYSIS BY MSGR. FOY