-Caveat Lector-
<http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=21805>
Catholics protest Clinton speech booking
Outraged at hospital fund-raiser featuring pro-abortion ex-president
by John-Henry Westen
HAMILTON, Ontario -- An ethical scandal erupted in Canada last
week when it was announced that former U.S. President Bill
Clinton, a staunch supporter of legal abortion, is scheduled to
speak at a fund-raiser for a Catholic hospital here.
The Morgan Firestone Foundation, which regularly raises funds for
St. Joseph's Catholic hospital, booked Clinton to speak at the
fund-raiser to take place May 2, but only finalized the booking
after clearing it with the Sisters of St. Joseph who run the
hospital.
Craig Dowhaniuk, spokesman for the foundation, said that prior to
booking Clinton, the organization "approached the hospital and
the nuns for their blessing," realizing there could be conflict
around the selection and not wanting to "cause any
embarrassment." The foundation was well aware of the controversy
that would accompany the event. Dowhaniuk admitted that he
vividly recalled a 1991 protest over the scheduling of then-New
York Gov. Mario Cuomo to speak at a fund-raiser for the same
hospital.
Dr. Carmelo Scime, president of Campaign Life Coalition Hamilton,
a local pro-life group, also recalls the protest over Cuomo.
Scime recalls that Hamilton Bishop Anthony Tonnos refused to
attend the fund-raiser and sent a letter to his priests urging
them and parishioners not to attend the event due to Cuomo's
pro-abortion stand.
With American companies admitting wrongdoing over Clinton speech
invites and some retracting invitations from the scandal-ridden
former president, many Americans were shocked that a Catholic
hospital in Canada would raise no objections to having Clinton do
a fund-raiser. To wit, an article in the National Review asked,
"What exactly is a president who vetoed a ban on partial-birth
abortion doing as a headliner at a Catholic hospital?"
The article concluded saying, "The local Catholic ordinary might
consider taking a page from one southern neighbor -- James C.
Timlin, the bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania, who rescinded a
Catholic hospital's invitation to then-Vice President and
Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore to speak at a Catholic
hospital about the economy and health care."
Several U.S. Catholic pro-life activists contacted the Sisters of
St. Joseph in Hamilton to voice their objections to the Clinton
talk. Sister Anne Anderson, president and chair of the St.
Joseph's Health Care System returned calls and left messages
indicating that she was reporting the calls to the U.S.
Consulate. One message Anderson left on the answering machine of
California resident Allyson Smith said, "We really do have to
report these calls to the U.S. Consulate, so I hope that you'll
understand."
Smith said she had left a message with Anderson expressing her
dismay that the most pro-abortion president in U.S. history, Bill
Clinton, had been invited to speak on behalf of a Catholic
institution. After hearing the response from Anderson, Smith
reacted, saying, "Faithful Catholics such as myself, who took the
time and trouble to contact the sisters, are rewarded for their
efforts by being reported to the U.S. Consulate."
Anderson confirmed her calls and said that security measures
required that all calls and e-mails be submitted to the U.S.
Consulate so as to ensure Clinton's safety. When Smith called the
U.S. Consulate in Toronto to inquire about her being reported,
she was told: "Your name's not going to be entered on any list.
They only take credible threats. She's only doing what she feels
is her Canadian patriotic duty. Rest easy."
Anderson said she had been unaware of the extent of Clinton's
pro-abortion beliefs.
It has been over a week since Clinton's forthcoming speaking
engagement was announced, and there has been no official response
yet by the Hamilton diocese. Perhaps that added to the impetus to
book Clinton for a second appearance. The Firestone Foundation
sold all its 1,090 tickets to the event on the first day -- at
$200 each. But there was a waiting list of some 800 people, and
Dowhaniuk tried unsuccessfully to book a second Clinton
appearance.
Letters, phone calls and e-mails have been pouring in to the
diocese, the hospital and the sisters regarding the matter, and
protests are being scheduled. A lively debate in the local paper
has seen at least one Catholic official respond.
Father Luc Payette, Pastor Paroisse Notre-Dame du
Perp�tuel-Secours, wrote in a letter to the editor to the
Hamilton Spectator: "In the case of St. Joseph's Hospital, the
guest speaker must be pro-life since it is that hospital's
official stance. This is why Mr. Clinton should never have been
invited as a guest speaker since his widely known defense of
abortion directly contradicts St. Joseph's Catholic moral code,
and therefore causes grave scandal."
Payette added, "As a Catholic Christian, I would welcome Mr. Bill
Clinton to this above-mentioned gathering if he were to publicly
repent from his stand on abortion, especially partial-birth
abortion and other pro-choice issues."
John-Henry Westen is the editor of LifeSite News. His LifeSite
articles have appeared in The Wanderer, Crisis, Challenge, Zenit
News, Catholic World News, EWTN News and other publications.
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