lifesitenews--2020-01-07--Chinese govt demands Christians use religion to ‘spread Communist Party principles’

BEIJING , January 6 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — New draconian rules for religious groups are set to go into place in China requiring that they “ spread Communist Party principles.
” China ’ s totalitarian government promulgated new rules on December 30 that will place virtually all aspects of religious life under the control of the Communist Party .
The “ administrative measures ” consist of six chapters and 41 articles governing the “ organization , functions , supervision and management of religious groups , ” which would include religious doctrine , annual and daily activities , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force on February 1 and come as part of a growing crackdown by Chinese communists on religion .
For example , about 1 million Muslim Uighur people are being kept in re-education camps , where some have been subjected to torture .
Christian churches have been razed by authorities , who have curtailed the independence of Christian ministers .
Two million Christians and Buddhist are being kept in detention .
Jewish communities have also been harassed .
In concert with the government ’ s policy of “ sinicization , ” which is intended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the new rules reinforce policies announced in 2017 to reinterpret Christian teachings according to socialist doctrine .
Besides its persecution of Christian and Muslim believers for supposedly foreign doctrines in its war on religion , China has mercilessly pursued members of the native-born spiritualist Falun Gong movement for more than 20 years .
According to Radio Free Asia , churches in Hunan province were forced last year to remove displays of the Ten Commandments and replace them with quotes of President Xi Jinping .
Likewise , churches in Jiangxi province were ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replace them with portraits of the president .
In some areas , all public displays of Christmas decorations have been banned .
In addition , party officials have been told that celebrating the feast is contrary to CCP teachings .
In December , Christians belonging to “ house churches ” not recognized by the government were ordered to refrain from publicly celebrating Christmas .
A Protestant pastor in Shandong , where previous celebrations had drawn thousands of worshipers , said , “ We are afraid to meet in public [ because such meetings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Identified solely as John , the pastor said , “ We can ’ t do Christmas this year .
We can ’ t have any activities on Christmas.
” Under the new rules , all religious organizations will be required to obey and promote Communist Party values and China ’ s President Xi Jinping .
Churches will be expected to “ spread the principles and policies of the Chinese Communist Party ” and indoctrinate all “ religious staff and religious citizens to support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.
” According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Chinese Catholic priest observed : “ In practice , your religion no longer matters , if you are Buddhist , or Taoist , or Muslim or Christian : the only religion allowed is faith in the Chinese Communist Party [ CCP ] .
” According to the new rules , all churches and religious organizations must adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party and “ to the directives on religions in China , implementing the values of socialism.
” Article 17 directs : “ Religious organizations must spread the principles and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as national laws , regulations , rules to religious personnel and religious citizens , educating religious personnel and religious citizens to support the leadership of the CCP , supporting the socialist system , adhering to and following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
” Religious organizations must submit all decisions for approval by Communist Party officials .
According to the rules , local religious affairs offices serve as the “ administrative bodies ” for all religious organizations , controlling them through “ guidance and supervision.
” China is home to a growing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are also approximately 3.3 million Catholics , with another 5.7 million who consider themselves Catholics but belong to the schismatic state-sponsored Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association ( CPCA ) .
The CPPA is not in communion with the papacy and has operated in parallel with the so-called “ underground ” Church , which consists of clergy and laity who have remained loyal to the pope and the worldwide church despite decades of persecution , summary arrests , torture , and death .
In 2018 , the Vatican reached a secret provisional agreement with Beijing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between the Catholic Church and China ’ s government .
The accord allows the communists to play a role in appointing bishops .
Under a previous arrangement , Vatican diplomats dealt with members of the government in order to iron out disagreements .
Under the new accord , they will deal with Communist Party cadres .
Despite the agreement , persecution of the Church has increased in China .
At least one bishop and several priests have refused to register with the Chinese government despite being allowed by the Vatican .
Bishop Vincent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ captors last year rather than register with the government .
Bishop Guo remains in hiding .
Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong , members of the U.S. Commission on Human Rights , and prominent Christians have called on Pope Francis to repudiate the secret agreement or , at the very least , make it public so it can be scrutinized and reveal whether or not it requires all Catholics to register with the CPCA per the government ’ s claims .
In December , Cardinal Zen said he fears that the Pope is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China through the controversial agreement .
Saying the current pope ’ s diplomacy toward China has been “ disastrous , ” Cardinal Zen said Pope Francis is effectively “ shutting down ” the legacy of popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI in their relations with China ’ s government and Chinese Catholics .

Churches throughout China have been forced to remove displays of the Ten Commandments and religious imagery and replace them with quotes and portraits of President Xi Jinping.
BEIJING, January 6, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — New draconian rules for religious groups are set to go into place in China requiring that they “spread Communist Party principles.”
China’s totalitarian government promulgated new rules on December 30 that will place virtually all aspects of religious life under the control of the Communist Party. The “administrative measures” consist of six chapters and 41 articles governing the “organization, functions, supervision and management of religious groups,” which would include religious doctrine, annual and daily activities, and rallies.
The new rules go into force on February 1 and come as part of a growing crackdown by Chinese communists on religion. For example, about 1 million Muslim Uighur people are being kept in re-education camps, where some have been subjected to torture. Christian churches have been razed by authorities, who have curtailed the independence of Christian ministers. Two million Christians and Buddhist are being kept in detention. Jewish communities have also been harassed.
In concert with the government’s policy of “sinicization,” which is intended to underscore Chinese culture and socialist polity, the new rules reinforce policies announced in 2017 to reinterpret Christian teachings according to socialist doctrine. Besides its persecution of Christian and Muslim believers for supposedly foreign doctrines in its war on religion, China has mercilessly pursued members of the native-born spiritualist Falun Gong movement for more than 20 years.
According to Radio Free Asia, churches in Hunan province were forced last year to remove displays of the Ten Commandments and replace them with quotes of President Xi Jinping. Likewise, churches in Jiangxi province were ordered to remove biblical paintings and crosses and replace them with portraits of the president. In some areas, all public displays of Christmas decorations have been banned. In addition, party officials have been told that celebrating the feast is contrary to CCP teachings.
In December, Christians belonging to “house churches” not recognized by the government were ordered to refrain from publicly celebrating Christmas. A Protestant pastor in Shandong, where previous celebrations had drawn thousands of worshipers, said, “We are afraid to meet in public [because such meetings] have been designated illegal gatherings.” Identified solely as John, the pastor said, “We can’t do Christmas this year. We can’t have any activities on Christmas.”
Under the new rules, all religious organizations will be required to obey and promote Communist Party values and China’s President Xi Jinping. Churches will be expected to “spread the principles and policies of the Chinese Communist Party” and indoctrinate all “religious staff and religious citizens to support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.”
According to Asia News (linked above), a Chinese Catholic priest observed: “In practice, your religion no longer matters, if you are Buddhist, or Taoist, or Muslim or Christian: the only religion allowed is faith in the Chinese Communist Party [CCP].”
According to the new rules, all churches and religious organizations must adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party and “to the directives on religions in China, implementing the values of socialism.”
Article 17 directs: “Religious organizations must spread the principles and policies of the CCP, as well as national laws, regulations, rules to religious personnel and religious citizens, educating religious personnel and religious citizens to support the leadership of the CCP, supporting the socialist system, adhering to and following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
Religious organizations must submit all decisions for approval by Communist Party officials. According to the rules, local religious affairs offices serve as the “administrative bodies” for all religious organizations, controlling them through “guidance and supervision.”
A disastrous and secret Vatican-Beijing accord
China is home to a growing community of 68 million Protestants. There are also approximately 3.3 million Catholics, with another 5.7 million who consider themselves Catholics but belong to the schismatic state-sponsored Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA).
The CPPA is not in communion with the papacy and has operated in parallel with the so-called “underground” Church, which consists of clergy and laity who have remained loyal to the pope and the worldwide church despite decades of persecution, summary arrests, torture, and death.
In 2018, the Vatican reached a secret provisional agreement with Beijing, having long sought to normalize ties between the Catholic Church and China’s government. The accord allows the communists to play a role in appointing bishops. Under a previous arrangement, Vatican diplomats dealt with members of the government in order to iron out disagreements. Under the new accord, they will deal with Communist Party cadres.
Despite the agreement, persecution of the Church has increased in China. At least one bishop and several priests have refused to register with the Chinese government despite being allowed by the Vatican. Bishop Vincent Guo of Mindong province fled his official captors last year rather than register with the government. Bishop Guo remains in hiding.
Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong, members of the U.S. Commission on Human Rights, and prominent Christians have called on Pope Francis to repudiate the secret agreement or, at the very least, make it public so it can be scrutinized and reveal whether or not it requires all Catholics to register with the CPCA per the government’s claims.
In December, Cardinal Zen said he fears that the Pope is legitimizing schism within the Catholic Church in China through the controversial agreement. Saying the current pope’s diplomacy toward China has been “disastrous,” Cardinal Zen said Pope Francis is effectively “shutting down” the legacy of popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI in their relations with China’s government and Chinese Catholics.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-07--Provincial govt orders Canadian hospice to begin killing sick patients in February

DELTA , British Columbia , January 6 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The British Columbia government is ordering a palliative care hospice to allow its patients to be killed onsite through “ medically-assisted death , ” or euthanasia , by February 3 .
Fraser Health Authority ( FHA ) issued the deadline to the Delta Hospice Society in late December but did not specify the consequences if it does not comply , reported the Delta Optimist .
It ’ s the latest development in the society ’ s long-running battle to prevent the lethal injection of patients onsite at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a suburb of Delta , a city south of Vancouver .
FHA spokesperson Tasleem Juma confirmed in an email that the health authority met December 5 with leaders of the hospice “ to discuss concerns we have regarding compliance of their contract , ” and that it has since “ provided them with formal notice of the concerns and shared our expectations that they comply to permit medical assistance in dying by February 2020.
” Juma did not elaborate on what penalties the hospice will face for non-compliance .
However , New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Adrian Dix has already broadly hinted that the government will pull the non-profit society ’ s public funding .
“ Of course , we do live in a free society , ” Dix told the Toronto Globe and Mail last month .
“ Delta Hospice Society can decide that it doesn ’ t want to continue to receive support from the Fraser Health Authority in its mission .
They can choose to do that .
You can absolutely have it your way .
But you can ’ t have it both ways.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for comment from LifeSiteNews by deadline .
Fraser Health is insisting that the hospice does not qualify for the exemption it grants to faith-based organizations under its euthanasia policy and that it must provide lethal injections to patients under the terms of its contract .
The FHA issued its euthanasia policy in September 2016 , three months after Justin Trudeau ’ s Liberal government legalized the practice in Canada at the bidding of the Supreme Court , which in February 2015 struck down the law prohibiting euthanasia as unconstitutional .
Fraser Health funds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annually , or about 47 percent of its operating budget — the rest comes from private donations — and owns the land on which the hospice sits , which it leases to the society , according to the Vancouver Sun .
The hospice , which currently transfers patients out to be euthanized , is arguing that lethally injecting patients is directly opposed to palliative care , and that permitting euthanasia on-site violates its constitution , which states it will not hasten a patient ’ s death .
The hospice society is backed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( CHPCA ) and the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians ( CSPCP ) , which issued a joint statement in November asserting that palliative care and euthanasia -- which is called “ medical assistance in dying , ” or MAiD -- are “ fundamentally different practices.
” “ National and international hospice palliative care organizations are unified in the position that MAiD is not part of the practice of hospice palliative care , ” the statement says .
“ MAiD is not part of hospice palliative care ; it is not an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is it one of the tools ‘ in the palliative care basket , ’ ” it points out .
That ’ s also the position of hospice founder and executive director Nancy Macey , who was fired by the hospice society ’ s board September 2019 in the course of the acrimonious dispute .
The board then voted to allow euthanasia onsite .
Macey said at the time she is seeking legal advice , the Globe reported .
But after a membership drive that tripled the society ’ s membership of 200 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 28 during what the Globe described a “ raucous meeting.
” The new board voted to reverse the decision to allow euthanasia .
Incoming president Angelina Ireland told staff , volunteers and members in a letter the decision was based on two independent legal opinions that euthanasia is not compatible with the society ’ s purposes as stated in its constitution , according to the Delta Optimist .
The new board also voted to dismiss the society ’ s current executive director and appoint an interim one .
The results of the dispute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition .
“ This is really a battle over Canada , ” he told LifeSiteNews .
“ For a government to force a hospice to have to do euthanasia , even though the hospice has its articles of incorporation that they do not hasten death , they are saying that every medical association will be forced to do it.
” He has launched a petition supporting the hospice society addressed to Fraser Health Authority president Dr. Victoria Lee , and to Minister Dix , and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To sign the EPCC petition supporting Delta Hospice , go here .
To express concern to the Minister of Health :

The British Columbia non-profit faces the possibility of having its public funding discontinued unless it complies
DELTA, British Columbia, January 6, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The British Columbia government is ordering a palliative care hospice to allow its patients to be killed onsite through “medically-assisted death,” or euthanasia, by February 3.
Fraser Health Authority (FHA) issued the deadline to the Delta Hospice Society in late December but did not specify the consequences if it does not comply, reported the Delta Optimist.
It’s the latest development in the society’s long-running battle to prevent the lethal injection of patients onsite at the 10-bed Irene Thomas Hospice it runs in a suburb of Delta, a city south of Vancouver.
FHA spokesperson Tasleem Juma confirmed in an email that the health authority met December 5 with leaders of the hospice “to discuss concerns we have regarding compliance of their contract,” and that it has since “provided them with formal notice of the concerns and shared our expectations that they comply to permit medical assistance in dying by February 2020.”
Juma did not elaborate on what penalties the hospice will face for non-compliance.
However, New Democratic Party (NDP) Health Minister Adrian Dix has already broadly hinted that the government will pull the non-profit society’s public funding.
“Of course, we do live in a free society,” Dix told the Toronto Globe and Mail last month.
“Delta Hospice Society can decide that it doesn’t want to continue to receive support from the Fraser Health Authority in its mission. They can choose to do that. You can absolutely have it your way. But you can’t have it both ways.”
Dix did not respond to a request for comment from LifeSiteNews by deadline.
Fraser Health is insisting that the hospice does not qualify for the exemption it grants to faith-based organizations under its euthanasia policy and that it must provide lethal injections to patients under the terms of its contract.
The FHA issued its euthanasia policy in September 2016, three months after Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government legalized the practice in Canada at the bidding of the Supreme Court, which in February 2015 struck down the law prohibiting euthanasia as unconstitutional.
Fraser Health funds the Delta Hospice Society $1.3 million annually, or about 47 percent of its operating budget — the rest comes from private donations — and owns the land on which the hospice sits, which it leases to the society, according to the Vancouver Sun.
The hospice, which currently transfers patients out to be euthanized, is arguing that lethally injecting patients is directly opposed to palliative care, and that permitting euthanasia on-site violates its constitution, which states it will not hasten a patient’s death.
The hospice society is backed by both the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) and the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians (CSPCP), which issued a joint statement in November asserting that palliative care and euthanasia — which is called “medical assistance in dying,” or MAiD — are “fundamentally different practices.”
“National and international hospice palliative care organizations are unified in the position that MAiD is not part of the practice of hospice palliative care,” the statement says.
“MAiD is not part of hospice palliative care; it is not an ‘extension’ of palliative care nor is it one of the tools ‘in the palliative care basket,’” it points out.
That’s also the position of hospice founder and executive director Nancy Macey, who was fired by the hospice society’s board September 2019 in the course of the acrimonious dispute. The board then voted to allow euthanasia onsite.
Macey said at the time she is seeking legal advice, the Globe reported.
But after a membership drive that tripled the society’s membership of 200, a new board was elected on November 28 during what the Globe described a “raucous meeting.”
The new board voted to reverse the decision to allow euthanasia.
Incoming president Angelina Ireland told staff, volunteers and members in a letter the decision was based on two independent legal opinions that euthanasia is not compatible with the society’s purposes as stated in its constitution, according to the Delta Optimist.
The new board also voted to dismiss the society’s current executive director and appoint an interim one.
The results of the dispute will be far-reaching, says Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.
“This is really a battle over Canada,” he told LifeSiteNews.
“For a government to force a hospice to have to do euthanasia, even though the hospice has its articles of incorporation that they do not hasten death, they are saying that every medical association will be forced to do it.”
He has launched a petition supporting the hospice society addressed to Fraser Health Authority president Dr. Victoria Lee, and to Minister Dix, and is urging all concerned Canadians to sign it.
To sign the EPCC petition supporting Delta Hospice, go here.
To express concern to the Minister of Health:
Minister of Health Adrian Dix
Room 337 Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC V8V 1X4
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (250) 953-3547
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lifesitenews--2020-01-06--UK Catholic bishop cites Pope Francis to defend LGBT ‘ministry’ scandalizing faithful Catholics

MIDDLESBROUGH , United Kingdom , January 6 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Faithful Catholic laity in the UK Diocese of Middlesbrough are sounding an alarm about the unchecked activities of the LGBT+ “ ministry ” in their diocese .
Last year , the “ ministry ” hosted a stall at a local homosexual “ Pride ” event , and its website and social media pages display a cross filled with the colours of the rainbow flag .
LifeSite recently reported on the growing number of “ LGBT Masses ” being celebrated in Catholic dioceses around England .
Middlesbrough is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mass taking place since December 2017 .
It does so at the famous York Bar Convent , the oldest Catholic convent in England , dating to 1686 .
The Diocese of Middlesbrough promotes the website Middlesbrough Diocese LGBT+ Ministry on its own official diocesan page .
The same webpage also promotes a Facebook group dedicated to the “ ministry.
” In June 2019 , this Facebook page displayed an album of photos showing the group ’ s participation in the “ Pride ” event in York .
This event was led by schoolchildren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Middlesbrough LGBT+ Ministry website makes it clear that the ministry is the initiative of the local ordinary , Bishop Terence Drainey , and that the group has his support .
They state on their homepage : LifeSite have now been alerted to a number of other activities of the LGBT ministry in their diocese of Middlesbrough , including the social media posts of prominent members of the LGBT+ ministry , their association with groups promoting ideas in contradiction to Catholic teaching and evidence that schools within the diocese may be using controversial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have written a number of letters to Bishop Drainey but feel that their concerns have not been adequately addressed .
Bishop Drainey has refused to meet with them .
He told LifeSite that he felt that whatever he said “ would not be satisfactory in their eyes ” and it was clear to him “ a meeting would offer them no greater satisfaction than my letter.
” In the letters to Bishop Drainey , the faithful Catholics highlighted their concern about the participation of diocesan groups in local “ Pride ” events and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Fr .
Tony Lester and Dr. Johan Bergström-Allen , the two individuals listed as contacts on the Diocese of Middlesbrough LGBT+ Ministry website .
Dr. Bergström-Allen , chair of the LGBT+ Ministry Pastoral Council , has posted pictures on his Instagram page of him being involved in the Hull “ Pride ” event in July 2019 .
His page includes a host of pictures and videos taken from the event in July , including several images and videos of an oversized depiction of Jesus Christ wearing a rainbow sash .
On one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Does your Church look like this ?
# GodisInclusive # Pride ” .
His page also displays a series of pictures from the York “ Pride ” event in June 2019 where the diocesan “ ministry ” hosted their own stall .
One of those pictures shows a “ drag queen ” pictured in a cardboard cutout frame designed to resemble a social-media post with “ Middlesbrough Diocese LGBT+ Ministry ” branding , along with an image of a cross filled with the rainbow colours .
The image of the rainbow-cross appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its social media pages and advertisements .
Accompanying the post , Dr. Bergström-Allen wrote , “ 50 years ago drag queens led the Stonewall riots and kicked off the modern LGBT+ movement .
They ’ re still fighting and fabulous.
” Several other images of members of the public posing for similar photos are posted to the Middlesbrough diocese LGBT+ ministry Facebook page .
Our contacts in the Middlesbrough diocese tell us that this image was also originally on the “ ministry ” Facebook page , but it is no longer displayed there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group in the UK , roughly equivalent to the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) in the United States , which last year proposed new guidelines to introduce gay , lesbian , and transgender themes and examples into every area of the school curriculum , beginning with lessons for children as young as 5 years old .
Dr. Bergström-Allen ’ s Instagram page also includes videos of him attending the Black Orchid York - Gentlemans Club & Whisky Lounge , with one of his videos including a descriptive note from Dr. Bergström-Allen saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” In the letters to Bishop Drainey , the Catholics also expressed a number of concerns about Fr .
Lester , a Catholic priest of the diocese and coordinator of the LGBT+ Ministry .
Fr .
Lester can be seen pictured below at a “ Pride ” event in 2018 , standing at the bottom left corner of the large rainbow flag .
One of the issues pointed out in the correspondence with Bishop Drainey was that in December 2018 , Fr .
Lester re-tweeted a post by NHS staff in praise of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picture of a number of inflated condoms arranged to resemble a Christmas tree .
The concerned Catholics further pointed out to Bishop Drainey that the church of Our Lady in Acomb , where Fr .
Lester is parish priest and Dr. Bergström-Allen is a member of the pastoral council , have registered with the organisation Inclusive Church .
A part of the “ shared vision ” for Inclusive Church is to “ challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability , economic power , ethnicity , gender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mental health , neurodiversity , or sexuality . ''
In 2018 , their annual lecture was given by Ruth Hunt , CEO of Stonewall , who also claims to be a “ practicing Catholic.
” The Catholics have also highlighted evidence that the controversial , pro-LGBT school programme `` No Outsiders '' may be being used at a Catholic school in the diocese .
The “ No Outsiders ” programme received significant media coverage last year , when Muslim parents in Birmingham protested against its use to teach their children .
The programme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the introduction to the book explaining that “ to be a person who is gay or lesbian or transgender or bisexual is normal , acceptable and ok. '' Its author , Andrew Moffatt , led the annual homosexual “ Pride ” march in Birmingham last year .
A recent investigation by ChurchMilitant.TV showed that at least 10 schools in the Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool have been using the “ No Outsiders ” programme .
In a summer newsletter , the Liverpool archdiocese department for education gave the following advice to schools : In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholics pointed out that a tweet from the parish of Our Lady ’ s Church in Acomb ( where Fr .
Lester is parish priest ) showed an official “ No Outsiders ” poster displayed in Our Lady Queen of Martyrs primary school , a Catholic school in the Middlesbrough diocese .
This tweet displaying the poster at the school was then re-tweeted by Emma Barrs , the school ’ s headteacher .
LifeSite contacted Mrs. Barrs to enquire whether the “ No Outsiders ” programme is being used at the school , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ displayed , but there has been no response so far .
In Bishop Drainey ’ s response to the concerned Catholics , he stressed on several occasions that the LGBT+ ministry has been established in keeping with various statements from Pope Francis , including the call in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium to reach out to the “ peripheries ” of society .
Bishop Drainey has stated that in his letters in response to the Catholics that the diocesan LGBT+ “ ministry ” ’ is “ fully within the teaching of the Catholic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken part in an actual “ Pride ” parade , but rather simply been present at the event for pastoral reasons .
In one of his letters in response to the Catholics , Bishop Drainey stated that one of the reasons for the diocese beginning the LGBT+ ministry was his concern regarding “ anti-Catholic ” groups and their attempts to “ completely change or destroy the moral compass of our society.
” The Catholics pointed out to Bishop Drainey that the pictures available on the “ ministry ’ s ” social media pages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the diocese .
There are a number of pictures of the last year ’ s York “ Pride ” parade on the “ ministry ” Facebook page , as well as pictures from their stall .
They further point out that the event is supported by a number of sponsors , several of whom are explicit in their support for homosexual lifestyles , contrary to clear Catholic teaching .
The Catholics remain concerned .
They feel that the LGBT+ ministry continues to promote images , literature , organisations and events which promote an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teaching clear .
In the 1986 “ Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons ” Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger , then Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , wrote the following concerning pastoral organisations for homosexual persons : Bishop Drainey has consistently refused to meet the Catholics to discuss their concerns in person .
When they highlighted the tweets showing the “ No Outsiders ” poster displayed in Our Lady Queen of Martyrs primary school and its subsequent re-tweet by headteacher Mrs. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they had made “ serious allegations ’ about the head teacher , that he would need to look into them and that he would be asking Reverend Peter Warren , the diocesan solicitor to contact them to arrange a meeting .
Reverend Warren is also the parish deacon at the “ Inclusive church ” of Our Lady ’ s in Acomb , where Fr .
Lester is the parish priest and has himself acted as deacon at the LGBT+ Masses in York .
After being contacted by Reverend Warren , the Catholics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any “ serious allegations ” at all but merely asked a question about a piece of information in the public domain .
They have continued to seek a meeting with Bishop Drainey , as their concerns are exclusively regarding the pastoral activities of the diocese of which he is the authority .
They were disappointed that instead of being able to explain their concerns directly to their bishop they were informed that they had made “ serious allegations ” about a local school teacher and directed to meet with the diocesan solicitor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same diocesan group about which they were primarily concerned .
The Catholics were subsequently contacted by telephone on December 21 by Canon Derek Turnham , the diocese ’ s Episcopal Vicariate for Pastoral Strategy .
He explained to them that the phone call was an opportunity for them to discuss their concerns .
The Catholics told LifeSiteNews that they told Canon Turnham that they needed to discuss their concerns with Bishop Drainey because he was the one responsible for the diocese .
Canon Turnham reportedly responded that it was not normal to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a big business at this stage.
” LifeSite wrote to Bishop Drainey via his secretary ’ s email address on December 19 , explaining that LifeSite had been contacted by Catholics in his diocese concerned about the activities of the LGBT+ ministry that he initiated and disappointed that they had been unable to meet with him to discuss their concerns .
LifeSite received an automatic response explaining that it would not receive a reply before January 2 , and so LifeSite called the bishop ’ s private residence on the number displayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was possible to contact him via another email address .
Bishop Drainey answered the phone himself and kindly gave LifeSite his personal email address .
On December 23 , Bishop Drainey responded to LifeSite ’ s email .
He explained that the LGBT+ Masses had been set up in “ response to the Holy Father ’ s proclamation of the Year of Mercy in 2016.
” In that email , he repeated his assertion that a “ serious allegation ” had been made by the Catholics concerning “ named persons.
” LifeSite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the bishop and can affirm that the questions raised by them are based on information available in the public domain -- much of which is included in this article .
The first use of the term “ serious allegation ” appeared in the correspondence after the Catholics alerted Bishop Drainey to the Twitter posts of a “ No Outsiders ” poster displayed at Our Lady Queen of Matryrs primary school .
Those tweets are still on the Twitter pages of both the parish of Our Lady in Acomb and Barrs , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at the time of the publication of this article .
Bishop Drainey said in his email to LifeSite that he has offered the Catholics the opportunity to meet with two clerics of the diocese who represent him and that he felt that whatever he said “ would not be satisfactory in their eyes ” and that it was clear to him that “ a meeting would offer them no greater satisfaction than my letter .
”

MIDDLESBROUGH, United Kingdom, January 6, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Faithful Catholic laity in the UK Diocese of Middlesbrough are sounding an alarm about the unchecked activities of the LGBT+ “ministry” in their diocese. Last year, the “ministry” hosted a stall at a local homosexual “Pride” event, and its website and social media pages display a cross filled with the colours of the rainbow flag.
LifeSite recently reported on the growing number of “LGBT Masses” being celebrated in Catholic dioceses around England. Middlesbrough is one such diocese with a monthly LGBT+ Mass taking place since December 2017. It does so at the famous York Bar Convent, the oldest Catholic convent in England, dating to 1686.
The Diocese of Middlesbrough promotes the website Middlesbrough Diocese LGBT+ Ministry on its own official diocesan page. The same webpage also promotes a Facebook group dedicated to the “ministry.” In June 2019, this Facebook page displayed an album of photos showing the group’s participation in the “Pride” event in York. This event was led by schoolchildren from the local area.
The Diocese of Middlesbrough LGBT+ Ministry website makes it clear that the ministry is the initiative of the local ordinary, Bishop Terence Drainey, and that the group has his support. They state on their homepage:
Our Father in God, Bishop Terence (Terry) Drainey, is clear there is a warm welcome here in the diocese for everyone, and this includes in an explicit way members of the LGBT+ community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and those who identify under “plus”), as well as their friends and families.
LifeSite have now been alerted to a number of other activities of the LGBT ministry in their diocese of Middlesbrough, including the social media posts of prominent members of the LGBT+ ministry, their association with groups promoting ideas in contradiction to Catholic teaching and evidence that schools within the diocese may be using controversial pro LGBT+ education programmes.
Faithful Catholics have written a number of letters to Bishop Drainey but feel that their concerns have not been adequately addressed. Bishop Drainey has refused to meet with them. He told LifeSite that he felt that whatever he said “would not be satisfactory in their eyes” and it was clear to him “a meeting would offer them no greater satisfaction than my letter.”
In the letters to Bishop Drainey, the faithful Catholics highlighted their concern about the participation of diocesan groups in local “Pride” events and a number of the social media posts by Fr. Tony Lester and Dr. Johan Bergström-Allen, the two individuals listed as contacts on the Diocese of Middlesbrough LGBT+ Ministry website.
Dr. Bergström-Allen, chair of the LGBT+ Ministry Pastoral Council, has posted pictures on his Instagram page of him being involved in the Hull “Pride” event in July 2019. His page includes a host of pictures and videos taken from the event in July, including several images and videos of an oversized depiction of Jesus Christ wearing a rainbow sash.
On one such post Dr. Bergström-Allen posted the message “Does your Church look like this? #GodisInclusive #Pride”.
His page also displays a series of pictures from the York “Pride” event in June 2019 where the diocesan “ministry” hosted their own stall. One of those pictures shows a “drag queen” pictured in a cardboard cutout frame designed to resemble a social-media post with “Middlesbrough Diocese LGBT+ Ministry” branding, along with an image of a cross filled with the rainbow colours. The image of the rainbow-cross appears on the website for the ministry, its social media pages and advertisements. Accompanying the post, Dr. Bergström-Allen wrote, “50 years ago drag queens led the Stonewall riots and kicked off the modern LGBT+ movement. They’re still fighting and fabulous.” Several other images of members of the public posing for similar photos are posted to the Middlesbrough diocese LGBT+ ministry Facebook page. Our contacts in the Middlesbrough diocese tell us that this image was also originally on the “ministry” Facebook page, but it is no longer displayed there.
Stonewall is a leading LGBT lobby group in the UK, roughly equivalent to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in the United States, which last year proposed new guidelines to introduce gay, lesbian, and transgender themes and examples into every area of the school curriculum, beginning with lessons for children as young as 5 years old.
Dr. Bergström-Allen’s Instagram page also includes videos of him attending the Black Orchid York – Gentlemans Club & Whisky Lounge, with one of his videos including a descriptive note from Dr. Bergström-Allen saying, “Drag disco to start 2019.”
In the letters to Bishop Drainey, the Catholics also expressed a number of concerns about Fr. Lester, a Catholic priest of the diocese and coordinator of the LGBT+ Ministry. Fr. Lester can be seen pictured below at a “Pride” event in 2018, standing at the bottom left corner of the large rainbow flag.
One of the issues pointed out in the correspondence with Bishop Drainey was that in December 2018, Fr. Lester re-tweeted a post by NHS staff in praise of sexual health staff, which included a picture of a number of inflated condoms arranged to resemble a Christmas tree.
The concerned Catholics further pointed out to Bishop Drainey that the church of Our Lady in Acomb, where Fr. Lester is parish priest and Dr. Bergström-Allen is a member of the pastoral council, have registered with the organisation Inclusive Church. A part of the “shared vision” for Inclusive Church is to “challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality.” In 2018, their annual lecture was given by Ruth Hunt, CEO of Stonewall, who also claims to be a “practicing Catholic.”
The Catholics have also highlighted evidence that the controversial, pro-LGBT school programme “No Outsiders” may be being used at a Catholic school in the diocese.
The “No Outsiders” programme received significant media coverage last year, when Muslim parents in Birmingham protested against its use to teach their children. The programme promotes LGBT lifestyles as normal, with the introduction to the book explaining that “to be a person who is gay or lesbian or transgender or bisexual is normal, acceptable and ok.” Its author, Andrew Moffatt, led the annual homosexual “Pride” march in Birmingham last year.
A recent investigation by ChurchMilitant.TV showed that at least 10 schools in the Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool have been using the “No Outsiders” programme. In a summer newsletter, the Liverpool archdiocese department for education gave the following advice to schools:
“Information from No Outsiders is still current and fine to use in school. Given the current climate, it might be better not to post on social media and use the term, All are Welcome for the time being to avoid adverse publicity.”
In the letters to Bishop Drainey, the Catholics pointed out that a tweet from the parish of Our Lady’s Church in Acomb (where Fr. Lester is parish priest) showed an official “No Outsiders” poster displayed in Our Lady Queen of Martyrs primary school, a Catholic school in the Middlesbrough diocese. This tweet displaying the poster at the school was then re-tweeted by Emma Barrs, the school’s headteacher.
LifeSite contacted Mrs. Barrs to enquire whether the “No Outsiders” programme is being used at the school, and if not why the poster was displayed, but there has been no response so far.
Bishop Drainey’s response
In Bishop Drainey’s response to the concerned Catholics, he stressed on several occasions that the LGBT+ ministry has been established in keeping with various statements from Pope Francis, including the call in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium to reach out to the “peripheries” of society.
Bishop Drainey has stated that in his letters in response to the Catholics that the diocesan LGBT+ “ministry”’ is “fully within the teaching of the Catholic Church” and that it has not taken part in an actual “Pride” parade, but rather simply been present at the event for pastoral reasons.
In one of his letters in response to the Catholics, Bishop Drainey stated that one of the reasons for the diocese beginning the LGBT+ ministry was his concern regarding “anti-Catholic” groups and their attempts to “completely change or destroy the moral compass of our society.”
The Catholics pointed out to Bishop Drainey that the pictures available on the “ministry’s” social media pages indicate that the event was welcomed by the diocese. There are a number of pictures of the last year’s York “Pride” parade on the “ministry” Facebook page, as well as pictures from their stall. They further point out that the event is supported by a number of sponsors, several of whom are explicit in their support for homosexual lifestyles, contrary to clear Catholic teaching.
The Catholics remain concerned. They feel that the LGBT+ ministry continues to promote images, literature, organisations and events which promote an LGBT lifestyle and do not make Catholic teaching clear.
In the 1986 “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons” Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote the following concerning pastoral organisations for homosexual persons:
We encourage the Bishops, then, to provide pastoral care in full accord with the teaching of the Church for homosexual persons of their dioceses. No authentic pastoral programme will include organizations in which homosexual persons associate with each other without clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral. A truly pastoral approach will appreciate the need for homosexual persons to avoid the near occasions of sin.
Bishop Drainey has consistently refused to meet the Catholics to discuss their concerns in person. When they highlighted the tweets showing the “No Outsiders” poster displayed in Our Lady Queen of Martyrs primary school and its subsequent re-tweet by headteacher Mrs. Barrs, Bishop Drainey responded by stating that they had made “serious allegations’ about the head teacher, that he would need to look into them and that he would be asking Reverend Peter Warren, the diocesan solicitor to contact them to arrange a meeting. Reverend Warren is also the parish deacon at the “Inclusive church” of Our Lady’s in Acomb, where Fr. Lester is the parish priest and has himself acted as deacon at the LGBT+ Masses in York.
After being contacted by Reverend Warren, the Catholics pointed out that they had not made any “serious allegations” at all but merely asked a question about a piece of information in the public domain. They have continued to seek a meeting with Bishop Drainey, as their concerns are exclusively regarding the pastoral activities of the diocese of which he is the authority. They were disappointed that instead of being able to explain their concerns directly to their bishop they were informed that they had made “serious allegations” about a local school teacher and directed to meet with the diocesan solicitor, who had himself been directly involved with the same diocesan group about which they were primarily concerned.
The Catholics were subsequently contacted by telephone on December 21 by Canon Derek Turnham, the diocese’s Episcopal Vicariate for Pastoral Strategy. He explained to them that the phone call was an opportunity for them to discuss their concerns. The Catholics told LifeSiteNews that they told Canon Turnham that they needed to discuss their concerns with Bishop Drainey because he was the one responsible for the diocese. Canon Turnham reportedly responded that it was not normal to have a meeting with the “CEO of a big business at this stage.”
LifeSite wrote to Bishop Drainey via his secretary’s email address on December 19, explaining that LifeSite had been contacted by Catholics in his diocese concerned about the activities of the LGBT+ ministry that he initiated and disappointed that they had been unable to meet with him to discuss their concerns. LifeSite received an automatic response explaining that it would not receive a reply before January 2, and so LifeSite called the bishop’s private residence on the number displayed on the diocesan website to see if it was possible to contact him via another email address. Bishop Drainey answered the phone himself and kindly gave LifeSite his personal email address.
On December 23, Bishop Drainey responded to LifeSite’s email. He explained that the LGBT+ Masses had been set up in “response to the Holy Father’s proclamation of the Year of Mercy in 2016.” In that email, he repeated his assertion that a “serious allegation” had been made by the Catholics concerning “named persons.” LifeSite has seen the correspondence between the Catholics and the bishop and can affirm that the questions raised by them are based on information available in the public domain — much of which is included in this article.
The first use of the term “serious allegation” appeared in the correspondence after the Catholics alerted Bishop Drainey to the Twitter posts of a “No Outsiders” poster displayed at Our Lady Queen of Matryrs primary school. Those tweets are still on the Twitter pages of both the parish of Our Lady in Acomb and Barrs, the headmaster of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, at the time of the publication of this article.
Bishop Drainey said in his email to LifeSite that he has offered the Catholics the opportunity to meet with two clerics of the diocese who represent him and that he felt that whatever he said “would not be satisfactory in their eyes” and that it was clear to him that “a meeting would offer them no greater satisfaction than my letter.”
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lifesitenews--2020-01-06--German Catholic bishop welcomes idea of joint parish with Lutherans

HANOVER , Germany , January 6 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – German Catholic Bishop Heiner Wilmer welcomed a Lutheran bishop ’ s suggestion that one day , jointly Catholic-Lutheran “ ecumenical ” parishes could be formed .
Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Ralf Meister of Hanover recently said , “ Many no longer ask if someone is a Protestant or a Catholic , but only if he is a Christian , ” while suggesting that parishes could be created that would house Catholics and Lutherans under the same roof .
Catholic Bishop Wilmer of Hildesheim welcomed the idea , saying , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much greater connection than separation between the two main German churches.
” According to the Lutheran news agency EPD , Bishop Wilmer said , “ As Christians , we are all called to testify and preach the Gospel.
” He added , “ How we can walk together in pastoral care is a fitting and important question for the future .
We will certainly continue to deal with this in ecumenism.
” Lutheran Bishop Meister suggested that a project for the two churches might reach “ up to the establishment of purely ecumenical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goal , Meister said , “ but you can still express it.
” As far as the reality of merging congregations is concerned , Meister said he did not know how they would be constituted : “ We are just not that far along and have our differences , for example with the last supper [ Abendmahl ] .
” The Evangelical Lutheran Church celebrates same-sex “ marriages ” and also “ ordains ” women to ministerial roles .
Meister ’ s predecessor in Hanover was Margot Käßmann .
Bishop Wilmer has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rules concerning a celibate priesthood , thus calling into question the longstanding tradition of priestly celibacy in the Church ’ s Latin rite .
He told the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung in 2018 , for example , that the future may see “ other forms of [ priestly ] life that we already have today , for example with married Protestant pastors who convert to the Catholic Church.
” Celibacy “ could develop more radiant power if certain groups of people were exempted from it , ” he said .
Wilmer is apparently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current “ synodal path ” for reform .
Wilmer was appointed to his diocese by Pope Francis and assumed the see in 2018 .
Regarding the “ ordination ” of women to the priesthood , Wilmer is of an open mind , telling the official German Catholic news service : “ I am very keen to engage in an open discussion and am excited to see which ways the Holy Spirit will lead us.
” He sees a need for reform to the discipline of celibacy in the priesthood , arguing that many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 that he hopes that the current synodal path among German bishops will introduce a “ a new way of thinking in the church , ” even while he recognizes changes may take time : “ It may take longer than some people would like , but I 'm confident.
” Wilmer became known internationally when he said in an interview with daily Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger with reference to the sexual abuse crisis : “ I think the abuse of power is in the DNA of the church.
” Deep reform of the Church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggesting that a new theology may be necessary : Catholics , he said , should say “ goodbye ” to the claim that “ the Church in herself is pure and immaculate.
” “ So far , however , we have had no idea what consequences this must have for theology.
” He told the newspaper that Catholics must understand that their “ holy church ” is “ also a sinful church.
” Suggesting that there are “ structures of evil ” in the Church , in addition to sinful individuals , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Church is needed .
An inspiration for Wilmer ’ s thinking is 79-year-old former Catholic priest Eugen Drewermann .
He is the author of Kleriker : Psychogramm eines Ideals ( Clergy : Psychogram of an ideal ) , which questioned the very idea of a celibate clergy .
The bishop said of his inspiration : “ Eugen Drewermann is a prophet of our time who is misunderstood by the Church.
” Following a lengthy debate with German bishops over his controversial books and statements , Drewerman was banned from preaching , and also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Paderborn in the 1990s .
Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote a letter at the time to Drewermann ’ s bishop to express concern over the controversial author , who was eventually suspended from the priesthood .
In 2005 , he announced on a television program that he was leaving the Catholic Church .

Regarding women's 'ordination,' Bishop Heiner Wilmer has said: 'I am very keen to engage in an open discussion and am excited to see which ways the Holy Spirit will lead us.'
HANOVER, Germany, January 6, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – German Catholic Bishop Heiner Wilmer welcomed a Lutheran bishop’s suggestion that one day, jointly Catholic-Lutheran “ecumenical” parishes could be formed.
Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Ralf Meister of Hanover recently said, “Many no longer ask if someone is a Protestant or a Catholic, but only if he is a Christian,” while suggesting that parishes could be created that would house Catholics and Lutherans under the same roof.
Catholic Bishop Wilmer of Hildesheim welcomed the idea, saying, “I strongly believe that there is much greater connection than separation between the two main German churches.”
According to the Lutheran news agency EPD, Bishop Wilmer said, “As Christians, we are all called to testify and preach the Gospel.”
He added, “How we can walk together in pastoral care is a fitting and important question for the future. We will certainly continue to deal with this in ecumenism.”
Lutheran Bishop Meister suggested that a project for the two churches might reach “up to the establishment of purely ecumenical congregations.” That may be a distant goal, Meister said, “but you can still express it.”
As far as the reality of merging congregations is concerned, Meister said he did not know how they would be constituted: “We are just not that far along and have our differences, for example with the last supper [Abendmahl].”
The Evangelical Lutheran Church celebrates same-sex “marriages” and also “ordains” women to ministerial roles. Meister’s predecessor in Hanover was Margot Käßmann.
Bishop Wilmer has been among the German bishops advocating for modifying the rules concerning a celibate priesthood, thus calling into question the longstanding tradition of priestly celibacy in the Church’s Latin rite.
He told the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung in 2018, for example, that the future may see “other forms of [priestly] life that we already have today, for example with married Protestant pastors who convert to the Catholic Church.”
Celibacy “could develop more radiant power if certain groups of people were exempted from it,” he said.
Wilmer is apparently excited about the German Church’s current “synodal path” for reform. Wilmer was appointed to his diocese by Pope Francis and assumed the see in 2018.
Regarding the “ordination” of women to the priesthood, Wilmer is of an open mind, telling the official German Catholic news service: “I am very keen to engage in an open discussion and am excited to see which ways the Holy Spirit will lead us.”
He sees a need for reform to the discipline of celibacy in the priesthood, arguing that many priests are lonely.
Wilmer said in 2019 that he hopes that the current synodal path among German bishops will introduce a “a new way of thinking in the church,” even while he recognizes changes may take time: “It may take longer than some people would like, but I'm confident.”
Wilmer became known internationally when he said in an interview with daily Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger with reference to the sexual abuse crisis: “I think the abuse of power is in the DNA of the church.”
Deep reform of the Church is needed, Wilmer said, while suggesting that a new theology may be necessary: Catholics, he said, should say “goodbye” to the claim that “the Church in herself is pure and immaculate.”
“So far, however, we have had no idea what consequences this must have for theology.”
He told the newspaper that Catholics must understand that their “holy church” is “also a sinful church.” Suggesting that there are “structures of evil” in the Church, in addition to sinful individuals, he said that control over power within the Church is needed.
“We need separation of powers.”
An inspiration for Wilmer’s thinking is 79-year-old former Catholic priest Eugen Drewermann. He is the author of Kleriker: Psychogramm eines Ideals (Clergy: Psychogram of an ideal), which questioned the very idea of a celibate clergy. The bishop said of his inspiration: “Eugen Drewermann is a prophet of our time who is misunderstood by the Church.”
Following a lengthy debate with German bishops over his controversial books and statements, Drewerman was banned from preaching, and also barred from teaching at the Catholic seminary at Paderborn in the 1990s. Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote a letter at the time to Drewermann’s bishop to express concern over the controversial author, who was eventually suspended from the priesthood. In 2005, he announced on a television program that he was leaving the Catholic Church.
Maike Hickson contributed to this report.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-06--UK comedian scathingly calls out hypocrisy of ‘woke’ Hollywood elites at Golden Globe awards

January 6 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – British comedian Ricky Gervais , best known for the UK TV series The Office , has grabbed media headlines and “ gone viral ” online after telling Hollywood celebrities gathered for the Golden Globe awards on Sunday evening that they were “ [ i ] n no position to lecture the public about anything ” in a seven-minute speech that has been described as a skewering of “ woke ” culture .
Such award ceremonies have become infamous in recent years for celebrities using the events to promote their views on issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and immigration .
Gervais , who began his speech by saying that his comments were “ just jokes ” , appeared to be serious as he urged the celebrities not to make any political speeches when collecting awards .
At one point , he tore stripes off of Apple for claiming to be “ woke ” while being a “ company who runs sweatshops in China.
” You say you 're “ woke ” , but the companies you work for are unbelievable .
Apple , Amazon , Disney - If ISIS started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agent would n't you ?
So if you do win an award tonight do n't use it as a platform to make a political speech .
You 're in no position to lecture the public about anything .
You know nothing about the real world .
Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg .
So if you win , come up , accept your little award , thank your agent and your god and then f**k off .
Throughout his opening speech , Gervais made a host of controversial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that drew mixed responses from the celebrity audience .
At one point in his speech , Gervais referred to the audience generally as “ all you perverts ” and said that the one thing that all TV and film executives had in common was being “ terrified of Ronan Farrow ” , the journalist known for helping to uncover sexual abuse allegations against former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein .
Later in the show , Gervais appeared to make a broad attack on former colleagues of Weinstein when introducing a clip for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a movie where people survive by acting like they do n't see a thing .
Sort of like working for Harvey Weinstein ” .
In another provocative moment , when talking about a character in a popular Netflix show , Gervais said “ he obviously didn ’ t kill himself .
Just like Jeffrey Epstein ” .
As the audience responded with a mixture of laughs , gasps and boos , Gervais continued “ Shut up .
I know he 's your friend , but I do n't care ” .
Prior to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magazine of his intention to challenge the audience , saying “ It 's a room full of the biggest virtue-signalers and hypocrites in the world , so I 've got to go after that ” .
Commenting on what he described as the “ almost universal acclaim ” that Gervais ’ speech received on Twitter , Piers Morgan wrote in the Mail Online “ [ t ] he reason his verbal assault resonated so powerfully is because it came just when many people , including me , feared the world had gone completely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into supine submission by a staggeringly intolerant radical liberal mob intent on sucking every ounce of freedom and joy out of life ” .

Ricky Gervais told the Hollywood celebs they're in 'no position to lecture the public about anything.'
January 6, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – British comedian Ricky Gervais, best known for the UK TV series The Office, has grabbed media headlines and “gone viral” online after telling Hollywood celebrities gathered for the Golden Globe awards on Sunday evening that they were “[i]n no position to lecture the public about anything” in a seven-minute speech that has been described as a skewering of “woke” culture.
��SAVAGE�� Ricky Gervais just gave the best opening speech at the #GoldenGlobes ever. He absolutely DESTROYED Hollywood. pic.twitter.com/byRej81Xo0 — Benny (@bennyjohnson) January 6, 2020
Such award ceremonies have become infamous in recent years for celebrities using the events to promote their views on issues such as abortion, climate change, and immigration.
Gervais, who began his speech by saying that his comments were “just jokes”, appeared to be serious as he urged the celebrities not to make any political speeches when collecting awards. At one point, he tore stripes off of Apple for claiming to be “woke” while being a “company who runs sweatshops in China.”
You say you're “woke”, but the companies you work for are unbelievable. Apple, Amazon, Disney – If ISIS started a streaming service you'd call your agent wouldn't you?
So if you do win an award tonight don't use it as a platform to make a political speech. You're in no position to lecture the public about anything.
You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.
So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your god and then f**k off.
Throughout his opening speech, Gervais made a host of controversial and a number of extremely vulgar jokes that drew mixed responses from the celebrity audience.
At one point in his speech, Gervais referred to the audience generally as “all you perverts” and said that the one thing that all TV and film executives had in common was being “terrified of Ronan Farrow”, the journalist known for helping to uncover sexual abuse allegations against former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Later in the show, Gervais appeared to make a broad attack on former colleagues of Weinstein when introducing a clip for the film Birdbox, describing it as “a movie where people survive by acting like they don't see a thing. Sort of like working for Harvey Weinstein”.
In another provocative moment, when talking about a character in a popular Netflix show, Gervais said “he obviously didn’t kill himself. Just like Jeffrey Epstein”. As the audience responded with a mixture of laughs, gasps and boos, Gervais continued “Shut up. I know he's your friend, but I don't care”.
Prior to the event, Gervais told the Spectator magazine of his intention to challenge the audience, saying “It's a room full of the biggest virtue-signalers and hypocrites in the world, so I've got to go after that”.
Commenting on what he described as the “almost universal acclaim” that Gervais’ speech received on Twitter, Piers Morgan wrote in the Mail Online “[t]he reason his verbal assault resonated so powerfully is because it came just when many people, including me, feared the world had gone completely nuts – shamed, dragged and cancelled into supine submission by a staggeringly intolerant radical liberal mob intent on sucking every ounce of freedom and joy out of life”.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-06--Epiphany and the Truth of Christ

Epiphany and the Truth of Christ

Formerly Heart to Heart with Mother Miriam , Mother Miriam Live brings you inspiration and solutions for life ’ s @ @ @ @ @ Miriam is a Catholic nun on a mission to bring hope to a world that @ @ @ @ @ let her share that hope and joy with you !
To tune into Mother Miriam @ @ @ @ @ Facebook page here every Monday to Friday at 10am .

Watch Mother Miriam's Live show from 1.6.2020. Today, Mother shares the story of the Epiphany and the truth of the birth of Christ.
You can tune in daily at 10 am EST/7 am PST on our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to Mother Miriam Live here.


lifesitenews--2020-01-06--Paris mayor’s effort to pull pro-family posters backfires

January 6 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Efforts by the socialist mayor of Paris to scrub a pro-family poster campaign from inner city train stations backfired after a judge ruled that the posters were legal and were to remain posted for the duration of the contract .
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo took issue with the pro-life association Alliance Vita ’ s series of advertisements announcing that “ society will progress provided that maternity… paternity… differences ” are respected .
The posters were targeting France ’ s new bioethics law , currently under discussion , that aim to allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lesbian couples and alone-standing women , as well as easier access to experimentation on human embryos .
300 posters had installed on January 2 in the train stations of Paris , and a further 100 in the streets .
In the afternoon of that same day , Hidalgo tweeted that she was “ deeply shocked and outraged ” by the message conveyed by the posters .
One poster showed a handicapped woman in a wheelchair , another the profile of a blonde young woman , and the third showed a man ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ various anonymous Twitter accounts and by the mainstream and LGBT media that attacked the posters for being anti-gay and pro-life – one image presented on Alliance Vita ’ s website but not part of the publicity campaign showed the moment of conception , calling for “ respect for life.
” The highly publicized tweet from the mayor denounced an “ anti-abortion and anti-PMA campaign at the Gare du Nord and in several other places in the capital.
” “ I call on @ ExterionMediaFR and # Mediatransports to remove these posters immediately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon to be gratified : hours after the injunction , the advertising agencies announced the withdrawal of the campaign , and their decision was speedily implemented .
Tugdual Derville , Alliance Vita ’ s general delegate , told LifeSiteNews that he was surprised to see “ such a virulent response to posters that express landmarks to which the vast majority of French people are attached : fatherhood , motherhood and respect for differences , such as the ‘ difference ’ of handicapped people represented by a young girl in a wheelchair ” ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The extravagance of her expression has the merit of revealing the extent to which words that should be as consensual as ‘ paternity ’ and ‘ maternity ’ can be banished from society on political grounds .
This should make all lovers of democracy and freedom of expression sit back and think , ” he added .
Alliance Vita decided to sue both publicity networks using an emergency procedure .
Not only was the association successful in obtaining a hearing in the morning of January 4th , the interim relief judge decided that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resume in full respect of the contract signed in December by Mediatransports and ExterionMedia with Alliance Vita .
He observed that private persons are allowed to express opinions in public advertising campaigns and added that the images and text of posters had been duly assessed and approved by the Advertising Regulatory Authority on December 12 .
The social media uproar that led to the pulling of the campaign was deeply revealing of the present thought control system that has invaded the public square in France , upheld by large parts of the political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak positively about fatherhood and motherhood in their traditional sense is now socially unacceptable – even if such censorship is shown to be against the law and the rights of private citizens and bodies .
When the interim relief judge ’ s decision was made public , Anne Hidalgo tweeted : “ Very surprised by this emergency decision ordering the continuation of this anti-assisted procreation and anti-abortion campaign .
I encourage # Mediatransports to use all existing legal remedies in order to put a final stop to this campaign.
” In Hidalgo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must not be presented as a factor of progress , since “ progress , ” in this LGBTQI era , aims to erase all that – especially at a time when France is debating the bioethics law that is tailored to introduce medically assisted procreation without a father , increased research on the embryo .
Inevitably , if the law passes through parliament , it will open the door to surrogate motherhood for male homosexual couples in the name of equality .
Hidalgo ’ s strong reaction in fact clarified the situation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has offered to the Alliance Vita campaign , she has summarized the opprobrium that now hangs over the traditional family model .
Pending the outcome of this political-judicial affair that will certainly lead to further litigation , Tugdual Derville , Alliance Vita ’ s general delegate and the instigator of a new “ Movement for human ecology ” commented the case for LifeSite .
Below is the LifeSite ’ s full interview with Tugdual Derville .
LifeSiteNews ( LSN ) : Were you surprised by the reaction – and especially by the force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Paris , Anne Hidalgo ?
Tugdual Derville ( TD ) : It is , of course , a surprise to see such a virulent response to posters that express landmarks to which the vast majority of French people are attached : fatherhood , motherhood and respect for differences , such as the “ difference ” of handicapped people represented by a young girl in a wheelchair .
We know that it is difficult for everyone to have respect for these supporting walls that are the foundation of human ecology .
Our campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their consciences .
In particular , it challenges them on bioethical issues , a field in which these three supporting walls are under deep attack .
That the ideology of deconstruction should so openly challenge our campaign in fact validates it , and I think that this is a legal , political and moral fault on the part of Anne Hidalgo .
The extravagance of her expression has the merit of revealing the extent to which words that should be as consensual as “ paternity ” and “ maternity ” can be banished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should make all lovers of democracy and freedom of expression sit back and think .
LSN : Your campaign was very positive , but it was interpreted in a totally negative sense as attacking abortion and medically assisted procreation .
But isn ’ t there some truth in that ?
By underlining the importance of fatherhood , motherhood and respect for life , can ’ t it be said that by contrast everyone can understand what you meant ?
TD : The three visuals that were posted in this campaign refer explicitly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decipher the bioethical law on these three issues .
There is a fourth one , by the way , which shows the moment of conception .
We did not choose to display it because it is more “ technical ” and because we have to obey codes of communication that will reach people .
By the means of these visuals , which are thought-provoking as such , we invite the French , days before the reopening of the debate on bioethics law , to reflect on the consequences that this law will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when it comes to translating them into bioethics .
We stand behind the fact that behind these statements , which as such encourage us to live in accordance with these three values , there is a denunciation , a warning against the risk of paternity being erased by medically assisted procreation that deliberately evades the father , and the distortion of motherhood by methods of procreation that shatter it , such as surrogate motherhood or the promotion of egg preservation , which sells the idea of late artificial motherhood to women in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is known that only 25 % of egg thawing result in pregnancies .
All this is clearly expressed on our website .
The posters in favor of “ difference ” have been kept in the railway network but removed by the Exterionmédia network .
We all know that we have a problem in France with this issue of welcoming the disabled .
France tells disabled people : “ Take your full place in society , ” and at the same time it has the world record for prenatal selection .
The bioethics law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the contrary , against this eugenic trend which has raised concern among personalities as diverse as those who participate in the bioethics debate and who are sometimes in opposition to us .
There are indeed issues related to biotechnology behind this campaign : does everything that is possible constitue progress ?
I also believe that what may have displeased them about us is that we are assertively reappropriating this notion of progress .
Progress is not unconditional ; progress is not simply the use of technology to the detriment of humanity .
All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At a time when a law is being debated , you are therefore very clearly being reproached for intervening in the debate in the way you want .
TD : I think that we are simply being criticized for intervening in the debate ; more clearly – this is a form of appearance-based prejudice – we are criticized for our mere existence .
I think that we are also decried for the tone that we have adopted , a tone that does not judge or condemn , but that forcefully says what is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the truth .
This is significant of the post-truth society , which tends to stifle the affirmation of true realities .
We are aware that even words are now to be banned .
And it is no coincidence that we are talking about the words “ fatherhood ” and “ motherhood ” : in the eyes of those who want to censor them , they are a source of alienation and discrimination .
However , it seems obvious , and fortunately the court has expressed it in this way , that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visuals , and I think that the French will judge the case on its merits when they see the visuals that were removed without even engaging in dialogue with us .
Everyone can say to themselves , including people who do not share our deepest convictions and who have not refrained from saying so , that things have been turned upside down .
A thought police has indeed expressed itself .
It was hidden at first .
Those who sneaked on us not only condemned our campaign , deliberately interpreted it in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it did not say .
This thought police is an extremely serious thing .
We have seen it at work in some totalitarian countries when politicians use it to put forward what they see as the side of the good against those who should be excluded from the debate , whose voices should be silenced .
We have seen reactions flourishing on social networks from people who say , beyond their own convictions , that they are appalled at the extent to which there is a willingness to censor contradictory voices .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ totalitarianism which , put in any hands , can lead to extremely deleterious effects that everyone can recognize .
LSN : You have taken legal action against the advertising networks that interrupted your campaign .
The interim relief judge ruled in your favor .
Do you have any comments ?
TD : We took to court the censorship imposed on us unilaterally by the Médiatransports network , which announced , in response to a question from a journalist who was himself reacting to the “ sneak ” information on the Internet , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I exchanged tweets with the head of the advertising network , objecting both to the form of this announcement – because we are customers who deserve to be respected and to be the first to be informed – and to its substance .
Our lawyer , Antoine Beauquier , referred the matter to the summary proceedings judge of the Paris Court of Justice , who granted an adversarial hearing the next morning .
On the evening of the hearing , he decided to grant our request , asking for the two censored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ railway advertising network , under penalty of a fine of 10,000 euros per day .
Our opponents were , of course , ordered to pay the costs .
LSN : Do you have any indication as to why the advertising management companies withdrew their posters ?
Was Anne Hidalgo ’ s tweet responsible ?
TD : Mrs Hidalgo in fact produced two fantastic tweets demanding that the City of Paris be cleaned of the posters that she was caricaturing , since she actually posted a visual on Twitter that was not a poster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to appeal the court decision .
But it all started with a few anonymous Twitter accounts , which says a lot about how far a tattletale system can go , especially since we do n't know which group or person is behind this type of account , which makes it impossible to challenge them openly .
Our faces are out in the open , and while the faces of those who attack us are covered .
So I do n't know exactly how they decided to remove this campaign in violation of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the law .
They argued that the advertisements were not neutral , but we were able to show that they had often accepted to show advertisements that were sometimes consumerist , sometimes libidinous , and in any case without neutrality .
As proof of this , we argued that the animal-rights PETA association , in exactly the same network and under the same conditions , showed a pig and a calf with the caption : “ I 'm someone , do n't eat me !
” There is nothing neutral about that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if they were “ absolutely neutral.
” LSN : How many posters were placed in Paris and in which areas ?
TD : The first network , Mediatransports , placed 300 posters in railway stations , and the second network displayed one hundred posters in the streets of Paris .
LSN : Was there a reaction from those who saw them ?
TD : Anyone who looks at these posters can identify with a person in a wheelchair with a disability , or by the faces of a father and mother , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been no other negative reaction apart from the orchestration of a small group that trying to gag us .
LSN : And has the announced appeal actually taken place ?
TD : At this time I have no indication that the announcement of an appeal made by Mediatransports via Twitter will be followed up .
For our part at any rate , we reserve our right and possibility to go all the way to the competent courts to challenge the discrimination and also the defamation that we are suffering from on the part @ @ @ @ @ @ @

January 6, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Efforts by the socialist mayor of Paris to scrub a pro-family poster campaign from inner city train stations backfired after a judge ruled that the posters were legal and were to remain posted for the duration of the contract.
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo took issue with the pro-life association Alliance Vita’s series of advertisements announcing that “society will progress provided that maternity… paternity… differences” are respected.
The posters were targeting France’s new bioethics law, currently under discussion, that aim to allow medically assisted procreation “PMA” for lesbian couples and alone-standing women, as well as easier access to experimentation on human embryos.
300 posters had installed on January 2 in the train stations of Paris, and a further 100 in the streets. In the afternoon of that same day, Hidalgo tweeted that she was “deeply shocked and outraged” by the message conveyed by the posters.
Je suis profondément choquée et indignée par cette campagne anti-IVG et anti-PMA à la Gare du Nord et dans plusieurs autres lieux de la capitale. Je demande à @ExterionMediaFR et #Mediatransports que ces affiches soient retirées immédiatement. pic.twitter.com/7dA6p26Q1B — Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) January 2, 2020
One poster showed a handicapped woman in a wheelchair, another the profile of a blonde young woman, and the third showed a man’s face.
They were pounced on by various anonymous Twitter accounts and by the mainstream and LGBT media that attacked the posters for being anti-gay and pro-life – one image presented on Alliance Vita’s website but not part of the publicity campaign showed the moment of conception, calling for “respect for life.”
The highly publicized tweet from the mayor denounced an “anti-abortion and anti-PMA campaign at the Gare du Nord and in several other places in the capital.” “I call on @ExterionMediaFR and #Mediatransports to remove these posters immediately,” wrote Hidalgo. Her request was soon to be gratified: hours after the injunction, the advertising agencies announced the withdrawal of the campaign, and their decision was speedily implemented.
Tugdual Derville, Alliance Vita’s general delegate, told LifeSiteNews that he was surprised to see “such a virulent response to posters that express landmarks to which the vast majority of French people are attached: fatherhood, motherhood and respect for differences, such as the ‘difference’ of handicapped people represented by a young girl in a wheelchair” (read full interview below).
“The extravagance of her expression has the merit of revealing the extent to which words that should be as consensual as ‘paternity’ and ‘maternity’ can be banished from society on political grounds. This should make all lovers of democracy and freedom of expression sit back and think,” he added.
Alliance Vita decided to sue both publicity networks using an emergency procedure. Not only was the association successful in obtaining a hearing in the morning of January 4th, the interim relief judge decided that same evening that the publicity campaign should resume in full respect of the contract signed in December by Mediatransports and ExterionMedia with Alliance Vita. He observed that private persons are allowed to express opinions in public advertising campaigns and added that the images and text of posters had been duly assessed and approved by the Advertising Regulatory Authority on December 12.
The social media uproar that led to the pulling of the campaign was deeply revealing of the present thought control system that has invaded the public square in France, upheld by large parts of the political and media worlds. It demonstrated that to speak positively about fatherhood and motherhood in their traditional sense is now socially unacceptable – even if such censorship is shown to be against the law and the rights of private citizens and bodies.
When the interim relief judge’s decision was made public, Anne Hidalgo tweeted: “Very surprised by this emergency decision ordering the continuation of this anti-assisted procreation and anti-abortion campaign. I encourage #Mediatransports to use all existing legal remedies in order to put a final stop to this campaign.”
Très grand étonnement face à cette décision de référé ordonnant la poursuite de la campagne anti-PMA et anti-IVG. J’encourage #Mediatransports à user de toutes les voies de droit possibles pour qu’il soit mis définitivement fin à cette campagne. — Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) January 4, 2020
In Hidalgo’s eyes, paternity and maternity must not be presented as a factor of progress, since “progress,” in this LGBTQI era, aims to erase all that – especially at a time when France is debating the bioethics law that is tailored to introduce medically assisted procreation without a father, increased research on the embryo. Inevitably, if the law passes through parliament, it will open the door to surrogate motherhood for male homosexual couples in the name of equality.
Hidalgo’s strong reaction in fact clarified the situation. In addition to the involuntary publicity she has offered to the Alliance Vita campaign, she has summarized the opprobrium that now hangs over the traditional family model.
Pending the outcome of this political-judicial affair that will certainly lead to further litigation, Tugdual Derville, Alliance Vita’s general delegate and the instigator of a new “Movement for human ecology” commented the case for LifeSite.
Below is the LifeSite’s full interview with Tugdual Derville.
***
LifeSiteNews (LSN): Were you surprised by the reaction – and especially by the force of the reaction – of the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo?
Tugdual Derville (TD): It is, of course, a surprise to see such a virulent response to posters that express landmarks to which the vast majority of French people are attached: fatherhood, motherhood and respect for differences, such as the “difference” of handicapped people represented by a young girl in a wheelchair. We know that it is difficult for everyone to have respect for these supporting walls that are the foundation of human ecology. Our campaign reaches out to people and also challenges their consciences. In particular, it challenges them on bioethical issues, a field in which these three supporting walls are under deep attack. That the ideology of deconstruction should so openly challenge our campaign in fact validates it, and I think that this is a legal, political and moral fault on the part of Anne Hidalgo.
The extravagance of her expression has the merit of revealing the extent to which words that should be as consensual as “paternity” and “maternity” can be banished from society on political grounds. This should make all lovers of democracy and freedom of expression sit back and think.
LSN: Your campaign was very positive, but it was interpreted in a totally negative sense as attacking abortion and medically assisted procreation. But isn’t there some truth in that? By underlining the importance of fatherhood, motherhood and respect for life, can’t it be said that by contrast everyone can understand what you meant?
TD: The three visuals that were posted in this campaign refer explicitly, through our website, to pages that decipher the bioethical law on these three issues. There is a fourth one, by the way, which shows the moment of conception. We did not choose to display it because it is more “technical” and because we have to obey codes of communication that will reach people. By the means of these visuals, which are thought-provoking as such, we invite the French, days before the reopening of the debate on bioethics law, to reflect on the consequences that this law will have on the protection of these supporting walls, when it comes to translating them into bioethics.
We stand behind the fact that behind these statements, which as such encourage us to live in accordance with these three values, there is a denunciation, a warning against the risk of paternity being erased by medically assisted procreation that deliberately evades the father, and the distortion of motherhood by methods of procreation that shatter it, such as surrogate motherhood or the promotion of egg preservation, which sells the idea of late artificial motherhood to women in a totally illusory way, when it is known that only 25% of egg thawing result in pregnancies. All this is clearly expressed on our website.
The posters in favor of “difference” have been kept in the railway network but removed by the Exterionmédia network. We all know that we have a problem in France with this issue of welcoming the disabled. France tells disabled people: “Take your full place in society,” and at the same time it has the world record for prenatal selection. The bioethics law, unfortunately, does nothing, quite the contrary, against this eugenic trend which has raised concern among personalities as diverse as those who participate in the bioethics debate and who are sometimes in opposition to us.
There are indeed issues related to biotechnology behind this campaign: does everything that is possible constitue progress?
I also believe that what may have displeased them about us is that we are assertively reappropriating this notion of progress. Progress is not unconditional; progress is not simply the use of technology to the detriment of humanity. All progress must be humanizing.
LSN: At a time when a law is being debated, you are therefore very clearly being reproached for intervening in the debate in the way you want.
TD: I think that we are simply being criticized for intervening in the debate; more clearly – this is a form of appearance-based prejudice – we are criticized for our mere existence. I think that we are also decried for the tone that we have adopted, a tone that does not judge or condemn, but that forcefully says what is, at the end of the day, the truth. This is significant of the post-truth society, which tends to stifle the affirmation of true realities.
We are aware that even words are now to be banned. And it is no coincidence that we are talking about the words “fatherhood” and “motherhood”: in the eyes of those who want to censor them, they are a source of alienation and discrimination.
However, it seems obvious, and fortunately the court has expressed it in this way, that we are within our rights in publishing these visuals, and I think that the French will judge the case on its merits when they see the visuals that were removed without even engaging in dialogue with us. Everyone can say to themselves, including people who do not share our deepest convictions and who have not refrained from saying so, that things have been turned upside down.
A thought police has indeed expressed itself. It was hidden at first. Those who sneaked on us not only condemned our campaign, deliberately interpreted it in a caricatured way, making it say what it did not say. This thought police is an extremely serious thing. We have seen it at work in some totalitarian countries when politicians use it to put forward what they see as the side of the good against those who should be excluded from the debate, whose voices should be silenced.
We have seen reactions flourishing on social networks from people who say, beyond their own convictions, that they are appalled at the extent to which there is a willingness to censor contradictory voices. They say that all this is revealing a totalitarianism which, put in any hands, can lead to extremely deleterious effects that everyone can recognize.
LSN: You have taken legal action against the advertising networks that interrupted your campaign. The interim relief judge ruled in your favor. Do you have any comments?
TD: We took to court the censorship imposed on us unilaterally by the Médiatransports network, which announced, in response to a question from a journalist who was himself reacting to the “sneak” information on the Internet, that two of the visuals would be removed. I exchanged tweets with the head of the advertising network, objecting both to the form of this announcement – because we are customers who deserve to be respected and to be the first to be informed – and to its substance. Our lawyer, Antoine Beauquier, referred the matter to the summary proceedings judge of the Paris Court of Justice, who granted an adversarial hearing the next morning. On the evening of the hearing, he decided to grant our request, asking for the two censored posters to be posted again on the railway advertising network, under penalty of a fine of 10,000 euros per day. Our opponents were, of course, ordered to pay the costs.
LSN: Do you have any indication as to why the advertising management companies withdrew their posters? Was Anne Hidalgo’s tweet responsible?
TD: Mrs Hidalgo in fact produced two fantastic tweets demanding that the City of Paris be cleaned of the posters that she was caricaturing, since she actually posted a visual on Twitter that was not a poster. She subsequently prompted the two companies to appeal the court decision. But it all started with a few anonymous Twitter accounts, which says a lot about how far a tattletale system can go, especially since we don't know which group or person is behind this type of account, which makes it impossible to challenge them openly. Our faces are out in the open, and while the faces of those who attack us are covered.
So I don't know exactly how they decided to remove this campaign in violation of the contract that bound us, and against the law. They argued that the advertisements were not neutral, but we were able to show that they had often accepted to show advertisements that were sometimes consumerist, sometimes libidinous, and in any case without neutrality.
As proof of this, we argued that the animal-rights PETA association, in exactly the same network and under the same conditions, showed a pig and a calf with the caption: “I'm someone, don't eat me!” There is nothing neutral about that. Advertising displays in general would be insipid, if they were “absolutely neutral.”
LSN: How many posters were placed in Paris and in which areas?
TD: The first network, Mediatransports, placed 300 posters in railway stations, and the second network displayed one hundred posters in the streets of Paris.
LSN: Was there a reaction from those who saw them?
TD: Anyone who looks at these posters can identify with a person in a wheelchair with a disability, or by the faces of a father and mother, or feel challenged. But there has been no other negative reaction apart from the orchestration of a small group that trying to gag us.
LSN: And has the announced appeal actually taken place?
TD: At this time I have no indication that the announcement of an appeal made by Mediatransports via Twitter will be followed up. For our part at any rate, we reserve our right and possibility to go all the way to the competent courts to challenge the discrimination and also the defamation that we are suffering from on the part of various protagonists in this affair.
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