lifesitenews--2020-05-19--UK teacher union forbids livestreaming lessons, engaging with students

May 19 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Britain ’ s teaching unions are decidedly unenthusiastic about the re-opening of schools as the coronavirus lockdown eases .
Surprisingly , they aren ’ t keen on online learning , either .
The National Education Union ( NEU ) has told its members not to live-stream lessons from their homes , engage one-to-one with pupils , or expect any input from parents .
Their bald statement , directed to primary ( junior ) school pupils , “ Teachers can not be expected to mark work , ” sounds like a parody of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is a particularly puzzling attitude in the context of education .
There has been a lot of talk of the harm done to the education of children by the closure of schools and how this will widen the gap between the educationally privileged and the educationally deprived .
There has also been a lot of talk about the non-educational functions of schools .
Apparently the role of schools is not just education , but the provision of childcare , especially for “ key workers ” ; the surveillance of children in danger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of nutritious meals .
Given what is said about the nutritional value of much school catering , I can only assume that this last claim is made against a very low baseline .
Once you destroy the family , through divorce reform , the stripping out of blue-collar jobs , tax and welfare policies that punish one-earner families , the aggressive promotion of anti-family nostrums in schools and entertainment , and now through the re-definition of marriage , it ’ s amazing how the tasks once routinely done by families pile up on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this was part of the plan .
Or perhaps the proponents of these changes were genuinely too stupid and irresponsible to think their plans through .
I am intrigued to discover yet another task that has devolved onto schools .
It is suggested by Chris McGovern , a former activist in a teacher union , and now a critic of them , as part of the National Education Union ’ s motivation for not liking online teaching while schools are closed : “ because 93 per cent of youngsters having access to digital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that , in the mind of NEU leaders , it is better to hold back 93 % of children lest they draw ahead of the 7 % .
This suggests that among the tasks of schools is the promotion of social justice , in the sense of an equitable distribution of educational goodies ( otherwise known as skills and knowledge ) .
Furthermore , where this task comes into conflict with the educational task itself — the actual handing out of the goodies — the former trumps the latter .
If the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring education to a halt , then education must be brought to a halt .
This may sound fanciful , but it actually fits a long-term pattern .
Progressive teachers hate selection by ability , whether within schools or between them , because it allows more gifted children to draw ahead , academically , of the less gifted .
One hears them suggesting that schools should not teach the more challenging skills , such as , er , reading music , because some will learn it and not others , and this will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you thought I was going to say “ Chaucer ” or “ ancient Greek , ” the same argument largely put paid to them long ago . )
So schools are about providing education , or , if the circumstances demand it , preventing education from taking place .
No wonder the NEU doesn ’ t want “ parents to become teachers ” : let that genie out of the bottle , and anything could happen .
Allow me to let you in on a little secret .
Contrary to what the NEU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helps everyone .
I benefit when my dentist , my elected representative , the manager of the pension fund I will one day draw from , and even the guy sweeping the street outside my house are better educated .
It may be annoying for me if I am directly competing with someone who had educational opportunities I lacked , but it is not bad for society , and the best possible employees in each job will create value and economic growth that will lift all of us .
Progressive teachers don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Here is something else they don ’ t think about : education is good for its recipients irrespective of its economic benefits .
It broadens the mind , if it is not mere indoctrination ; it gives people intellectual maturity .
I should rejoice if my job-market rival has a high level of intellectual culture : this is a form of intellectual virtue .
Envy of the educated for their education is a cousin of “ envy of another ’ s spiritual good , ” one of the sins against the Holy Spirit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grasp this are not in a good position to provide this intellectual formation to their pupils , least of all those at the bottom of the pile who need it most urgently .

May 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Britain’s teaching unions are decidedly unenthusiastic about the re-opening of schools as the coronavirus lockdown eases. Surprisingly, they aren’t keen on online learning, either. The National Education Union (NEU) has told its members not to live-stream lessons from their homes, engage one-to-one with pupils, or expect any input from parents. Their bald statement, directed to primary (junior) school pupils, “Teachers cannot be expected to mark work,” sounds like a parody of obstructive trade unionism from the 1970s.
It is a particularly puzzling attitude in the context of education. There has been a lot of talk of the harm done to the education of children by the closure of schools and how this will widen the gap between the educationally privileged and the educationally deprived. There has also been a lot of talk about the non-educational functions of schools. Apparently the role of schools is not just education, but the provision of childcare, especially for “key workers”; the surveillance of children in danger of domestic abuse; and the provision of nutritious meals. Given what is said about the nutritional value of much school catering, I can only assume that this last claim is made against a very low baseline.
Once you destroy the family, through divorce reform, the stripping out of blue-collar jobs, tax and welfare policies that punish one-earner families, the aggressive promotion of anti-family nostrums in schools and entertainment, and now through the re-definition of marriage, it’s amazing how the tasks once routinely done by families pile up on the shoulders of the state. Perhaps this was part of the plan. Or perhaps the proponents of these changes were genuinely too stupid and irresponsible to think their plans through.
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I am intrigued to discover yet another task that has devolved onto schools. It is suggested by Chris McGovern, a former activist in a teacher union, and now a critic of them, as part of the National Education Union’s motivation for not liking online teaching while schools are closed: “because 93 per cent of youngsters having access to digital devices is insufficient.”
What McGovern means is that, in the mind of NEU leaders, it is better to hold back 93% of children lest they draw ahead of the 7%. This suggests that among the tasks of schools is the promotion of social justice, in the sense of an equitable distribution of educational goodies (otherwise known as skills and knowledge). Furthermore, where this task comes into conflict with the educational task itself — the actual handing out of the goodies — the former trumps the latter. If the only way to be equitable is to bring education to a halt, then education must be brought to a halt.
This may sound fanciful, but it actually fits a long-term pattern. Progressive teachers hate selection by ability, whether within schools or between them, because it allows more gifted children to draw ahead, academically, of the less gifted. One hears them suggesting that schools should not teach the more challenging skills, such as, er, reading music, because some will learn it and not others, and this will reinforce or create inequality. (If you thought I was going to say “Chaucer” or “ancient Greek,” the same argument largely put paid to them long ago.)
So schools are about providing education, or, if the circumstances demand it, preventing education from taking place. No wonder the NEU doesn’t want “parents to become teachers”: let that genie out of the bottle, and anything could happen.
Allow me to let you in on a little secret. Contrary to what the NEU may think, the education of anyone helps everyone. I benefit when my dentist, my elected representative, the manager of the pension fund I will one day draw from, and even the guy sweeping the street outside my house are better educated. It may be annoying for me if I am directly competing with someone who had educational opportunities I lacked, but it is not bad for society, and the best possible employees in each job will create value and economic growth that will lift all of us. Progressive teachers don’t think about economics very much. Here is something else they don’t think about: education is good for its recipients irrespective of its economic benefits. It broadens the mind, if it is not mere indoctrination; it gives people intellectual maturity. I should rejoice if my job-market rival has a high level of intellectual culture: this is a form of intellectual virtue. Envy of the educated for their education is a cousin of “envy of another’s spiritual good,” one of the sins against the Holy Spirit.
The teachers who don’t grasp this are not in a good position to provide this intellectual formation to their pupils, least of all those at the bottom of the pile who need it most urgently.
Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, he interviews Scott Klusendorf about the fundamental flaw Klusendorf sees in the idea of locking down the country under the guise of preventing people from getting coronavirus.
You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below:
Follow Joseph Dr Joseph Shaw has a Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford University, where he also gained a first degree in Politics and Philosophy and a graduate Diploma in Theology. He has published on Ethics and Philosophy of Religion and is the editor of The Case for Liturgical Restoration: Una Voce Position Papers on the Extraordinary Form (Angelico Press). He is the Chairman of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales and Secretary of Una Voce International. He teaches Philosophy in Oxford University and lives nearby with his wife and nine children.
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lifesitenews--2020-05-19--This great 20th-century pope spelled out what human fraternity really means

May 19 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — In our times , the phrases “ world peace ” and “ human fraternity ” are constantly on people ’ s lips .
One often has a sinking feeling that the phrases have not only lost their original meaning , which was either Christian or compatible with Christianity , but have also become codewords for errors to which the Church is and ought to be opposed .
Worse still , it seems that it is most often members of the Church hierarchy who misuse these slogans as they sign agreements and shake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with globalist hegemons who wear invisible crowns of enormous financial power and behind-the-scenes political influence .
There was once a time when the popes thought , spoke , and acted more independently , drawing upon three millennia of Christian , Jewish , and pagan thought , giving voice to natural law and divine law .
Beholding the precarious peace of Europe shattered as dictatorships of Left and Right threw their armies into battle , Pope Pius XII ( 1939–1958 ) used the occasion of his inaugural encyclical Summi Pontificatus , promulgated October 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholic vision of the principles of unity that bind men and nations , and to implore the world , for love of peace , to return to the Church ’ s salutary teaching on political realities .
After an introduction in which the pope , recalling Leo XIII ’ s consecration of mankind to Christ the King forty years earlier , states his intention of consecrating his pontificate to advancing the reign of Christ in the world , the leading motif is stated : Right from the start , Pius XII makes it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kingship as pertaining not only to individuals , but also to societies , as his predecessor Pius XI had emphasized in his encyclical Quas Primas of 1925 .
Summi Pontificatus proceeds to a critique of “ popular modern errors ” ( §25 ) : The pope regards the “ darkness over the whole earth ” that accompanied the death of Jesus ( Mt .
27:45 ) as a “ terrifying symbol ” of the effects of banishing Christ from public life ( §30 ) .
The peace of nations is disturbed above all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that law of human solidarity and charity which is dictated and imposed by our common origin and by the equality of rational nature in all men ... and by the redeeming Sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ ” ( cf .
§35–§51 ) and “ those ideas which do not hesitate to divorce civil authority from every kind of dependence upon the Supreme Being — First Source and absolute Master of man and of society — and from every restraint of a Higher Law derived from God as from its First Source ” ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pius XII identifies the sources of the objective unity of the human race ( §36–§43 ) .
In Adam and Eve , the triune God created mankind after His own image and likeness ; from this first couple the human race is descended .
All members of this race have the same metaphysical nature , composed of material , perishable body and spiritual , immortal soul .
All live together on the same earth , enjoying the same rights of dominion over it ; all share the same end and mission within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same ultimate end , divine happiness , by the same means , the Church and her sacraments .
In the Son of God all men were created , by His blood redeemed , by His grace sanctified , by His love empowered to love .
“ In the light of this unity of all mankind , which exists in law and in fact , individuals do not feel themselves isolated units , like grains of sand , but united by the very force of their nature and by their internal destiny , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” ( §42 ) .
Only in the Catholic Church and the civilization inspired by her can different nations , races , and cultures work peacefully together , sharing their diverse gifts for the upbuilding of the human race ; apart from the Church , pluralism turns into antagonism ( §44–§49 ) .
Wherever the Church has gone , she has sown peace by spreading the knowledge and love of God .
The “ corrupt and corrupting paganism ” ( §30 ) of modern times does the opposite : by denying to God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place in social life , it chokes noble aspirations , nurtures egoism , provokes conflict .
This brings us to the second error , which is the object of the pope ’ s most vehement condemnation : totalitarianism .
No one in 1939 could have failed to see that Pius XII was speaking chiefly of the National Socialists of Germany , the fascists of Italy , and the militant communism of the Soviet Union , and his position was never misunderstood by these regimes , which did all in their power to thwart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ XII then invokes the teaching of Leo XIII on the State ’ s authentic purpose : to “ facilitate the attainment in the temporal order , by individuals , of physical , intellectual and moral perfection ” and to “ aid them to reach their supernatural end ” ( §58 ) .
Accordingly , “ it is the noble prerogative and function of the State to control , aid and direct the private and individual activities of national life that they converge harmoniously towards the common good ” ( §59 ) .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good , the pope continues : “ That good can neither be defined according to arbitrary ideas nor can it accept for its standard primarily the material prosperity of society , but rather it should be defined according to the harmonious development and the natural perfection of man ” ( ibid. )
.
Against totalitarianism the pope reaffirms that “ man and the family are by nature anterior to the State ” ( §61 ) and that the family has rights peculiar to itself ( §63ff . )
, such as the parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( §66 ) .
Having proved that it harms the internal life of nations , Pius XII then shows why totalitarianism , being a sort of voluntarism or egoism writ large , inevitably leads to international discord , breaking the “ reciprocal ties , moral and juridical ” that bind the human race “ into a great commonwealth ” ( §72 ) .
After this analysis of the situation in 1939 at the outset of the Second World War , Pius XII , in a powerful rhetorical move , imagines a hard won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this postwar period : “ Will that future be really different ; above all , will it be better ?
... Or will there be a lamentable repetition of ancient and of recent errors ?
” ( §79 ) .
“ Safety does not come to peoples from external means , from the sword which can impose conditions of peace but does not create peace .
Forces that are to renew the face of the earth should proceed from within , from the spirit ” ( §81 ) .
The “ new order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is to prove any better than the interbellum order , “ must rest on the unshakable foundation , on the solid rock of natural law and of divine revelation ” ( §82 ) .
Echoing the teaching of Pius XI before him , Pius XII insists that the problems of the modern world are not due principally to economic factors : Anticipating Vatican II ’ s accent on the role of the laity , the pope underlines that every baptized Christian has the mission of preaching the Gospel to the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work for peace ” ( §84 ; cf .
§84–§91 ) .
The “ first and essential duty ” of the lay apostle is “ individual sanctification , ” especially in these times , when “ obstacles and oppositions [ are ] vast and deep and minutely organized as never before ” and “ the conflict between Christianity and anti-Christianism grows intense ” ( §85–§86 ) .
In this combat “ the family has a special mission , for it is the spirit of the family that exercises the most powerful influence on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ §90 ) .
In his closing observations , Pius XII returns to a charge often leveled against the Church : that she interferes with worldly progress and civil authority .
In reality , “ there is no opposition between the laws that govern the life of faithful Christians and the postulates of a genuinely humane humanitarianism , but rather unity and mutual support ” ( §93 ) .
He prays that the Here the pope is stipulating the minimum negative duty of States toward the Church — allowing her freedom of action and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in no way usurps the rights of civil authority ; on the contrary , she preaches submission to earthly rulers as long as they strive to exercise their offices justly ( §102 ) .
The Church is moving in a different sphere and has different aims : “ Glory to God in the highest ; on earth , peace to men of good will ” ( §102 ) .
She is “ the City of God , whose King is Truth , whose law is love and whose measure is eternity ” ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If only today ’ s shepherds would awaken to the fact that they have an indestructible God-given right and duty to pursue the Church ’ s supernatural mission above and beyond anything that the State says or does to the contrary !
Beautifully , the encyclical draws to a close with an appeal to children to pray for peace : “ In this way you will put into practice the sublime precept of the Divine Master , the most sacred testament of His Heart , ‘ That they all may be one ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Summi Pontificatus is a permanent record of sound Catholic teaching on the unity of the human family , the duty of men and nations toward one another , and the role of the one true religion in bringing about those goods that secularists say they want but can never obtain by their own methods .

May 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — In our times, the phrases “world peace” and “human fraternity” are constantly on people’s lips. One often has a sinking feeling that the phrases have not only lost their original meaning, which was either Christian or compatible with Christianity, but have also become codewords for errors to which the Church is and ought to be opposed. Worse still, it seems that it is most often members of the Church hierarchy who misuse these slogans as they sign agreements and shake hands (or perhaps bump elbows) with globalist hegemons who wear invisible crowns of enormous financial power and behind-the-scenes political influence.
There was once a time when the popes thought, spoke, and acted more independently, drawing upon three millennia of Christian, Jewish, and pagan thought, giving voice to natural law and divine law.
Beholding the precarious peace of Europe shattered as dictatorships of Left and Right threw their armies into battle, Pope Pius XII (1939–1958) used the occasion of his inaugural encyclical Summi Pontificatus, promulgated October 20, 1939, to set forth the Catholic vision of the principles of unity that bind men and nations, and to implore the world, for love of peace, to return to the Church’s salutary teaching on political realities. After an introduction in which the pope, recalling Leo XIII’s consecration of mankind to Christ the King forty years earlier, states his intention of consecrating his pontificate to advancing the reign of Christ in the world, the leading motif is stated:
At the head of the road which leads to the spiritual and moral bankruptcy of the present day stands the nefarious efforts of not a few to dethrone Christ … In the recognition of the royal prerogatives of Christ and in the return of individuals and of society to the law of His truth and of His love lies the only way to salvation. (§21–§22; cf. §103).
Right from the start, Pius XII makes it clear that he sees Christ’s kingship as pertaining not only to individuals, but also to societies, as his predecessor Pius XI had emphasized in his encyclical Quas Primas of 1925. Summi Pontificatus proceeds to a critique of “popular modern errors” (§25):
The radical and ultimate cause of the evils which we deplore in modern society is the denial and rejection of a universal norm of morality as well for individual and social life as for international relations; we mean the disregard, so common nowadays, and the forgetfulness of the natural law itself, which has its foundation in God, Almighty Creator and Father of all. (§28)
The pope regards the “darkness over the whole earth” that accompanied the death of Jesus (Mt. 27:45) as a “terrifying symbol” of the effects of banishing Christ from public life (§30).
The peace of nations is disturbed above all by two errors: “forgetfulness of that law of human solidarity and charity which is dictated and imposed by our common origin and by the equality of rational nature in all men … and by the redeeming Sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ” (cf. §35–§51) and “those ideas which do not hesitate to divorce civil authority from every kind of dependence upon the Supreme Being — First Source and absolute Master of man and of society — and from every restraint of a Higher Law derived from God as from its First Source” (§52ff.).
In the first portion, Pius XII identifies the sources of the objective unity of the human race (§36–§43). In Adam and Eve, the triune God created mankind after His own image and likeness; from this first couple the human race is descended. All members of this race have the same metaphysical nature, composed of material, perishable body and spiritual, immortal soul. All live together on the same earth, enjoying the same rights of dominion over it; all share the same end and mission within the world; all are called to the same ultimate end, divine happiness, by the same means, the Church and her sacraments. In the Son of God all men were created, by His blood redeemed, by His grace sanctified, by His love empowered to love. “In the light of this unity of all mankind, which exists in law and in fact, individuals do not feel themselves isolated units, like grains of sand, but united by the very force of their nature and by their internal destiny, into an organic, harmonious mutual relationship” (§42). Only in the Catholic Church and the civilization inspired by her can different nations, races, and cultures work peacefully together, sharing their diverse gifts for the upbuilding of the human race; apart from the Church, pluralism turns into antagonism (§44–§49). Wherever the Church has gone, she has sown peace by spreading the knowledge and love of God. The “corrupt and corrupting paganism” (§30) of modern times does the opposite: by denying to God and His law a reigning, regulative place in social life, it chokes noble aspirations, nurtures egoism, provokes conflict.
This brings us to the second error, which is the object of the pope’s most vehement condemnation: totalitarianism.
Once the authority of God and the sway of His law are denied in this way, the civil authority as an inevitable result tends to attribute to itself that absolute autonomy which belongs exclusively to the Supreme Maker. It puts itself in the place of the Almighty and elevates the State or group into the last end of life, the supreme criterion of the moral and juridical order, and therefore forbids every appeal to the principles of natural reason and of the Christian conscience. (§53)
No one in 1939 could have failed to see that Pius XII was speaking chiefly of the National Socialists of Germany, the fascists of Italy, and the militant communism of the Soviet Union, and his position was never misunderstood by these regimes, which did all in their power to thwart the pope’s efforts.
Pius XII then invokes the teaching of Leo XIII on the State’s authentic purpose: to “facilitate the attainment in the temporal order, by individuals, of physical, intellectual and moral perfection” and to “aid them to reach their supernatural end” (§58). Accordingly, “it is the noble prerogative and function of the State to control, aid and direct the private and individual activities of national life that they converge harmoniously towards the common good” (§59). To ward off faulty notions of the common good, the pope continues: “That good can neither be defined according to arbitrary ideas nor can it accept for its standard primarily the material prosperity of society, but rather it should be defined according to the harmonious development and the natural perfection of man” (ibid.). Against totalitarianism the pope reaffirms that “man and the family are by nature anterior to the State” (§61) and that the family has rights peculiar to itself (§63ff.), such as the parents’ right to educate their own children (§66).
Having proved that it harms the internal life of nations, Pius XII then shows why totalitarianism, being a sort of voluntarism or egoism writ large, inevitably leads to international discord, breaking the “reciprocal ties, moral and juridical” that bind the human race “into a great commonwealth” (§72).
To tear the law of nations from its anchor in Divine law, to base it on the autonomous will of States … would [leave international law] abandoned to the fatal drive of private interest and collective selfishness exclusively intent on the assertion of its own rights and ignoring those of others. (§76)
After this analysis of the situation in 1939 at the outset of the Second World War, Pius XII, in a powerful rhetorical move, imagines a hard won cessation of hostilities and then asks of this postwar period: “Will that future be really different; above all, will it be better? … Or will there be a lamentable repetition of ancient and of recent errors?” (§79). “Safety does not come to peoples from external means, from the sword which can impose conditions of peace but does not create peace. Forces that are to renew the face of the earth should proceed from within, from the spirit” (§81). The “new order” emerging after the war, if it is to prove any better than the interbellum order, “must rest on the unshakable foundation, on the solid rock of natural law and of divine revelation” (§82).
Echoing the teaching of Pius XI before him, Pius XII insists that the problems of the modern world are not due principally to economic factors:
Their root is deeper and more intrinsic, belonging to the sphere of religious belief and moral convictions which have been perverted by the progressive alienation of the peoples from that unity of doctrine, faith, customs and morals which once was promoted by the tireless and beneficent work of the Church. (§83)
Anticipating Vatican II’s accent on the role of the laity, the pope underlines that every baptized Christian has the mission of preaching the Gospel to the world, “the most noble and most fruitful work for peace” (§84; cf. §84–§91). The “first and essential duty” of the lay apostle is “individual sanctification,” especially in these times, when “obstacles and oppositions [are] vast and deep and minutely organized as never before” and “the conflict between Christianity and anti-Christianism grows intense” (§85–§86). In this combat “the family has a special mission, for it is the spirit of the family that exercises the most powerful influence on that of the rising generation” (§90).
In his closing observations, Pius XII returns to a charge often leveled against the Church: that she interferes with worldly progress and civil authority. In reality, “there is no opposition between the laws that govern the life of faithful Christians and the postulates of a genuinely humane humanitarianism, but rather unity and mutual support” (§93). He prays that the
present difficulties may open the eyes of many to see our Lord Jesus Christ and the mission of His Church on this earth in their true light, and that all those who are in power may decide to allow the Church a free course to work for the formation of the rising generation according to the principles of justice and peace.
Here the pope is stipulating the minimum negative duty of States toward the Church — allowing her freedom of action and education (§94). The Church in no way usurps the rights of civil authority; on the contrary, she preaches submission to earthly rulers as long as they strive to exercise their offices justly (§102). The Church is moving in a different sphere and has different aims: “Glory to God in the highest; on earth, peace to men of good will” (§102). She is “the City of God, whose King is Truth, whose law is love and whose measure is eternity” (§110, quoting St. Augustine). If only today’s shepherds would awaken to the fact that they have an indestructible God-given right and duty to pursue the Church’s supernatural mission above and beyond anything that the State says or does to the contrary!
Beautifully, the encyclical draws to a close with an appeal to children to pray for peace: “In this way you will put into practice the sublime precept of the Divine Master, the most sacred testament of His Heart, ‘That they all may be one’” (§115, Jn 17:21).
Summi Pontificatus is a permanent record of sound Catholic teaching on the unity of the human family, the duty of men and nations toward one another, and the role of the one true religion in bringing about those goods that secularists say they want but can never obtain by their own methods.
Peter Kwasniewski, Thomistic theologian, liturgical scholar, and choral composer, is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College in California (B.A. Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy). He taught at the International Theological Institute in Austria and the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austria Program, then helped establish Wyoming Catholic College in 2006. There he taught theology, philosophy, music, and art history and directed the choirs until leaving in 2018 to devote himself full-time to writing and lecturing. Today he contributes regularly to many websites and publications, including New Liturgical Movement, OnePeterFive, LifeSiteNews, Rorate Caeli, The Remnant, and Catholic Family News, and has published thirteen books, including four on traditional Catholicism: Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis (Angelico, 2014, also available in Czech, Polish, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Belarusian), Noble Beauty, Transcendent Holiness (Angelico, 2017), Tradition and Sanity (Angelico, 2018), and Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius and Timeliness of the Traditional Latin Mass (Angelico, 2020). His work has been translated into at least eighteen languages. Kwasniewski is a scholar of The Aquinas Institute in Green Bay, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, a Fellow of the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies, and a Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center. He has published over a thousand articles on Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. For news, information, article links, sacred music, and the home of Os Justi Press, visit his personal website, www.peterkwasniewski.com.
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lifesitenews--2020-05-18--Chicago Catholic group blasts Cupich’s plan for churches during coronavirus: ‘betrayal of Christ’

CHICAGO , Illinois , May 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A group of Chicago Catholics has issued a statement strongly criticizing Cardinal Blase Cupich ’ s government-approved plan to re-open Catholic churches in his archdiocese .
The St. Charles Borromeo Society , founded just weeks ago , refers to his directives as “ insidious ” and a “ betrayal of Christ.
” Cupich issued his plan to re-open churches earlier this week .
Public Masses in the Archdiocese had been cancelled since mid-March .
The St. Charles Borromeo Society has been holding prayer vigils outside Holy Name Cathedral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last month .
The group , which has demanded that churches be considered “ essential ” during the coronavirus outbreak , reached out to Cupich previously so they could discuss ideas on how to re-open churches safely and quickly but were turned away by his office .
In his announcement letter Wednesday , Cupich says his plan was made in conjunction with the office of Illinois ’ pro-abortion Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker .
“ We should also be motivated to cooperate with public safety norms , given our reverence for life and human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Surely , there have been moments in history when governments and rulers have persecuted Christians and banned their public worship .
This is not one of them.
” The plan calls for a two-phased re-opening of churches in the archdiocese .
A “ certification of readiness ” and “ ongoing discussions with pastors , health care professionals and civil authorities ” will guide the process , Cupich announced .
Masses will have a 10-person limit early on with the possiblity of more in the future .
Lisa Bergman , one of the co-founders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wholeheartedly rejected the guidelines , especially the certification plan , calling Cupich ’ s remarks laced with “ secular wisdom.
” “ Cardinal Cupich has blithely yielded the Authority of the Church and subjugated the primacy of her worship to laws of man which are being successfully challenged by other denominations , '' her statement reads .
“ In doing so , he replaces what has been heroically defended for thousands of years with the absurd perception that the Mass and the Sacraments are less necessary and more potentially dangerous than grocery stores @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take-out restaurants , laundries , the postal service , and construction trades , all of which are having no trouble observing CDC regulations.
” “ This monstrous triple betrayal of Christ and His Church , from beginning to end , normalizes the narrative that the Church is secondary and must abase itself as though it were merely a place of recreation , ” Bergman continued .
Read the St. Charles Borromeo Society ’ s statement in full below : It is crucial for all Catholics to be made aware of the new guidelines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reopening of churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago .
They represent nothing less than a triple betrayal of Christ and His Church , because they institutionalize what has till now been merely implied : the narrative that the Church is secondary and must abase itself as though it were merely a place of recreation .
With the stroke of a pen , Cardinal Cupich has blithely yielded the Authority of the Church and subjugated the primacy of her worshipto laws of man which are being successfully challenged by other denominations .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been heroically defended for thousands of years with the absurd perception that the Mass and the Sacraments are less necessary and more potentially dangerousthan grocery stores , gas stations , hardware stores , take-out restaurants , laundries , the postal service , and construction trades , all of which are having no trouble observing CDC regulations .
His second and more insidious betrayal lies in the fact that none of these essential business , nor any other diocese , has been subjected to any official certification process in order to open .
Why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Church than all of these ?
Note carefully that the government is not the one forcing a certification process on our churches .
Cardinal Cupich has taken this upon himself , circumventing any legal recourse the laity might have for relief from this inequitable policy .
What could he possibly stand to gain by such a self-punitive plan ?
Could it be because it gives him an unchecked power to grant or revoke this certification according to his tastes ?
Anyone who doubts this possibility would do well to consider the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul Kalchik , or the church in South Dakota whose doors he locked during the Easter Triduum .
Cupich ’ s third betrayal is his thin veneer of self-righteousness which undermines the true virtue of our Church .
Secular wisdom abounds in his introduction to these new policies , and the entire Gospel is ignored while we are admonished about being “ our brother ’ s keeper.
” This gaffe is not unusual ; most of us will recall his ” rabbit hole ” episode .
I suppose he never stopped to realize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sarcastic way of deflecting his own guilt for murdering his brother—simply because God had favored Abel ’ s sacrifice over his own .
Ironically , these insidious policies were announced on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima , who appeared to three children in Portugal at a time when the government was doing its best to stamp out the “ superstition ” of religion .
After months of apparitions , Our Lady proved herself with the Miracle of the Sun , which was witnessed by over 30,000 people .
Why is this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warn the world that , despite His great mercy , God would not hold back forever the punishment we deserve for our countless sins and offenses against Him .
With tears in her eyes , she begged us to offer reparation , describing the tribulations that lay in store if her warning were ignored .
Where is this message today ?
Where is the voice of the Church in the midst of this crisis , calling for reparation for our sins and offenses , lest we suffer further chastisement ?
Where is Her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the call for reparation , the representatives of our Church insist that this worldwide scourge can not possibly be a punishment from God .
Rather , it is likely a result of our offenses against “ Mother Earth ” …and prayer is really nothing more than wishful thinking .
Thus refusing to humble ourselves before God ’ s judgment , we rush to humble ourselves before man ’ s .
“ Amen I say to you , unless you be converted , and become as little children , you shall not enter into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18:3 ) Children trust .
Sheep trust .
We have a profound need to trust our Shepherds .
But Christ the Good Shepherd himself warned us to beware of wolves in sheep ’ s clothing : “ By their fruits you shall know them.
” When the fruit of the Shepherds is distrust , hubris and betrayal , it becomes the duty of the sheep to recognize these signs and act accordingly .
“ The fool hath said in his heart : There is no God .
They are corrupt , and are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is none that doth good , no not one.
” ( Ps 13:1 )

Cardinal Cupich's plan has 'yielded the authority of the Church and subjugated the primacy of her worship to laws of man,' they say.
CHICAGO, Illinois, May 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A group of Chicago Catholics has issued a statement strongly criticizing Cardinal Blase Cupich’s government-approved plan to re-open Catholic churches in his archdiocese.
The St. Charles Borromeo Society, founded just weeks ago, refers to his directives as “insidious” and a “betrayal of Christ.”
Cupich issued his plan to re-open churches earlier this week. Public Masses in the Archdiocese had been cancelled since mid-March. The St. Charles Borromeo Society has been holding prayer vigils outside Holy Name Cathedral on Fridays starting at 12:00pm for the last month. The group, which has demanded that churches be considered “essential” during the coronavirus outbreak, reached out to Cupich previously so they could discuss ideas on how to re-open churches safely and quickly but were turned away by his office.
In his announcement letter Wednesday, Cupich says his plan was made in conjunction with the office of Illinois’ pro-abortion Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker.
“We should also be motivated to cooperate with public safety norms, given our reverence for life and human dignity,” Cupich stated. “Surely, there have been moments in history when governments and rulers have persecuted Christians and banned their public worship. This is not one of them.”
The plan calls for a two-phased re-opening of churches in the archdiocese. A “certification of readiness” and “ongoing discussions with pastors, health care professionals and civil authorities” will guide the process, Cupich announced. Masses will have a 10-person limit early on with the possiblity of more in the future.
Lisa Bergman, one of the co-founders of the St. Charles Borromeo Society, wholeheartedly rejected the guidelines, especially the certification plan, calling Cupich’s remarks laced with “secular wisdom.”
“Cardinal Cupich has blithely yielded the Authority of the Church and subjugated the primacy of her worship to laws of man which are being successfully challenged by other denominations,” her statement reads.
“In doing so, he replaces what has been heroically defended for thousands of years with the absurd perception that the Mass and the Sacraments are less necessary and more potentially dangerous than grocery stores, gas stations, hardware stores, take-out restaurants, laundries, the postal service, and construction trades, all of which are having no trouble observing CDC regulations.”
“This monstrous triple betrayal of Christ and His Church, from beginning to end, normalizes the narrative that the Church is secondary and must abase itself as though it were merely a place of recreation,” Bergman continued.
Read the St. Charles Borromeo Society’s statement in full below:
It is crucial for all Catholics to be made aware of the new guidelines that have recently been set forth for the reopening of churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago. They represent nothing less than a triple betrayal of Christ and His Church, because they institutionalize what has till now been merely implied: the narrative that the Church is secondary and must abase itself as though it were merely a place of recreation. With the stroke of a pen, Cardinal Cupich has blithely yielded the Authority of the Church and subjugated the primacy of her worshipto laws of man which are being successfully challenged by other denominations. In doing so, he replaces what has been heroically defended for thousands of years with the absurd perception that the Mass and the Sacraments are less necessary and more potentially dangerousthan grocery stores, gas stations, hardware stores, take-out restaurants, laundries, the postal service, and construction trades, all of which are having no trouble observing CDC regulations. His second and more insidious betrayal lies in the fact that none of these essential business, nor any other diocese, has been subjected to any official certification process in order to open. Why on earth would we place less trust in the Church than all of these? Note carefully that the government is not the one forcing a certification process on our churches. Cardinal Cupich has taken this upon himself, circumventing any legal recourse the laity might have for relief from this inequitable policy. What could he possibly stand to gain by such a self-punitive plan? Could it be because it gives him an unchecked power to grant or revoke this certification according to his tastes? Anyone who doubts this possibility would do well to consider the cases of Father Frank Phillips or Father Paul Kalchik, or the church in South Dakota whose doors he locked during the Easter Triduum. Cupich’s third betrayal is his thin veneer of self-righteousness which undermines the true virtue of our Church. Secular wisdom abounds in his introduction to these new policies, and the entire Gospel is ignored while we are admonished about being “our brother’s keeper.” This gaffe is not unusual; most of us will recall his ”rabbit hole” episode. I suppose he never stopped to realize that this phrase was Cain’s sarcastic way of deflecting his own guilt for murdering his brother—simply because God had favored Abel’s sacrifice over his own. Ironically, these insidious policies were announced on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, who appeared to three children in Portugal at a time when the government was doing its best to stamp out the “superstition” of religion. After months of apparitions, Our Lady proved herself with the Miracle of the Sun, which was witnessed by over 30,000 people. Why is this ironic? Because Our Lady came to warn the world that, despite His great mercy, God would not hold back forever the punishment we deserve for our countless sins and offenses against Him. With tears in her eyes, she begged us to offer reparation,describing the tribulations that lay in store if her warning were ignored. Where is this message today? Where is the voice of the Church in the midst of this crisis, calling for reparation for our sins and offenses, lest we suffer further chastisement? Where is Her care of souls? In place of the call for reparation, the representatives of our Church insist that this worldwide scourge cannot possibly be a punishment from God. Rather, it is likely a result of our offenses against “Mother Earth”…and prayer is really nothing more than wishful thinking. Thus refusing to humble ourselves before God’s judgment, we rush to humble ourselves before man’s. “Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18:3) Children trust. Sheep trust. We have a profound need to trust our Shepherds. But Christ the Good Shepherd himself warned us to beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing: “By their fruits you shall know them.” When the fruit of the Shepherds is distrust, hubris and betrayal, it becomes the duty of the sheep to recognize these signs and act accordingly. “The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God. They are corrupt, and are become abominable in their ways: there is none that doth good, no not one.” (Ps 13:1)
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lifesitenews--2020-05-20--Legal group warns Alberta govt for ‘singling out’ houses of worship in COVID reopening plan

CALGARY , Alberta , May 19 , 2020 ( Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms ) — The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms ( jccf.ca ) has issued a legal warning letter to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney over his government ’ s arbitrary and unscientific treatment of houses of worship compared to restaurants and bars .
“ There is a glaring difference between treatment of restaurants and bars , and treatment of houses of worship , when it comes to the permissible numbers of people , social distancing , the service of food , the requirement to record the names of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spacing of cars , and other important issues , ” states lawyer and Justice Centre president John Carpay .
The Alberta government ’ s regulations for restaurants and for houses of worship are reprinted below .
When Alberta ’ s restaurants , cafes , pubs and bars re-open , they can not exceed 50 % capacity , but there is no limit to the number of customers allowed in at one time .
So , a large restaurant that seats 300 people can still serve 150 customers at a time .
In contrast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 50 people or one third ( not 50 % like restaurants ) of normal worship service attendance , whichever is smaller .
This means that a large temple that seats 1,000 or 2,000 people must still limit its attendance to only 50 people .
“ Why are churches and mosques limited to 50 people when large restaurants can host 100 or 200 people ?
” asks Carpay .
Under Alberta ’ s relaunch regulations , diners at restaurants can sit together at the same table , even if they are not from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , worshipers from differing households are required to maintain six-foot social distancing “ at all times , ” unless they live in the same household .
PETITION : Tell politicians not to discriminate against churches when reopening society !
Sign the petition here .
“ Alberta ’ s Chief Medical Officer , Dr. Deena Hinshaw , has been saying for more than nine weeks that six-feet social distancing is as a life-saving necessity .
Why is it suddenly fine for six restaurant patrons from six different families to sit side-by-side , one or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science to support a completely different standard for churches ?
” continues Carpay .
Houses of worship are told they can not provide “ cooked food , open food , or beverages.
” This attacks the central and long-standing Sikh tradition and practice of feeding all people , Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike , who come to the temple .
“ Why is it not good enough for a Sikh temple — and other houses of worship — to adhere to the same standards that are imposed on restaurants ?
” asks Carpay .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ unrelated strangers come and go every day , seven days a week .
In contrast , most houses of worship have gatherings once per week , but are largely empty the other six days .
The Alberta government will also continue to ban communion , also known as the Lord ’ s Supper : “ Services must not include sharing food or beverages .
Services must not include any contact between congregants such as hand shaking or the sharing of communal items ( e.g .
communion chalice ) .
” Restaurants serve food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least several people and then carried through the restaurant past other patrons before being placed in front of the customer .
In contrast , in Catholic churches the priest is the only person who touches the communion bread prior to its distribution directly to the communicant .
[ LifeSite editors ’ note : According to the Catholic faith , the consecrated bread becomes the body of Jesus . ]
“ Why is Jason Kenney preventing Catholics from receiving communion , which is the focal point of their faith , when restaurants can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are seated together at the same table ?
” questions Carpay .
The Alberta Government demands that if houses of worship host “ drive-in ” services , “ [ v ] ehicles should be separated by a minimum of two metres.
” No such requirement is imposed at Tim Hortons drive-throughs , where staff serve hundreds of customers every day , handing food and beverages to cars that are very close to the serving windows .
“ Social distancing is a crucial life-saving measure , or it is not .
Why single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” points out Carpay .
The Alberta Government now directs houses of worship to “ keep a listing of congregants who were present for services ” and “ maintain an up-to-date contact list for all staff and volunteers , including names , addresses and phone numbers.
” “ Stores , restaurants , pubs , cafes , and bars do not have to inform the Alberta government about who their patrons are , let alone ask patrons for their addresses and phone numbers .
Why should houses of worship be any different ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a police state is the government interested in tracking and recording the activities and movements of citizens , ” the lawyer notes .
The Alberta Government also prohibits social gathering before and after worship services : “ Social activities ( e.g .
communal dinners , lunches ) outside of services are not permitted.
” In contrast , restaurants are permitted to serve dinners and lunches every day , serving far more food to far more people than houses of worship do .
“ If the government ’ s goal is to ‘ reduce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permitted to serve food while houses of worship may not ?
” says Carpay .
“ In the course of a ‘ gradual ’ re-opening , which the Alberta Government claims as its goal , what is the rational and scientific basis for all these differences ?
At best , it appears that they are explained by a philosophy or worldview that sees restaurants as far more important than churches .
At worst , these differences are an expression of anti-religious sentiments , and a dismissal of people ’ s essential need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concludes Carpay .
It is critically important that places of worship understand the potential for spread within their congregation and take steps to minimize the risk of spread and the impacts of COVID-19 on some high-risk populations .
Places of worship should also follow the Workplace Guidance for Business Owners .
Worship leaders are encouraged to continue to hold services remotely and using other creative mechanisms such as drive-in services .
All places of worship should follow the public health guidance below and review their programming and worship services to keep everyone , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ · Staff , visitors and congregation should use the self-assessment tool before attending .
· Offer multiple services and opportunities to worship to reduce the attendance to 50 people or one third of normal worship service attendance , whichever is smaller and whichever ensures physical distancing will be maintained .
· Staff , visitors , and congregation should be provided information on the requirements for operation and the importance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 .
· Consider posting signs indicating COVID-19 physical distancing protocols .
· Physical distancing must be maintained between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ household at all times .
· Staff , visitors , and congregation may choose to wear non-medical masks , however , it is not required if physical distancing is maintained at all times .
· Infants and children should remain with their parents or guardians at all times .
Nursery/children ’ s church is not permitted .
· Individuals not from the same household should be reminded to maintain physical distancing when returning to vehicles or homes .
· Consider having cohort families , whereby two cohort families sit together with sufficient spacing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Supporting Staff and Religious Leaders · Religious leaders should support COVID-19 prevention activities , procedures , and education .
· Staff and volunteers should be given information and training about appropriate physical distancing , processes , and hygiene practices .
· Staff should wear appropriate PPE if they are unable to maintain 2 metres of separation from congregants .
Facilities · Control and stagger entry into facilities .
· Congregant lineups should be reminded of the importance of physical distancing .
This should be clearly marked to prevent congestion .
· Organizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a separate point of exit .
· Hand sanitizer containing at least 60 % alcohol content must be available at facility entrance and exit and available throughout the venue .
· Congregants should be reminded to clean their hands on entry and exit .
· Develop and implement procedures for increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting of high traffic areas , common areas , public washrooms .
· Frequently clean and disinfect high-touch/shared surfaces such as : doorknobs , light switches , toilet handles , faucets and taps , elevator buttons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cleaned and sanitized at least once between services .
· Seating should be arranged or marked ( in case of pews ) to ensure social distancing .
· Facility rental programs should be suspended if they can not adhere to gathering restrictions .
COVID-19 INFORMATION GUIDANCE FOR PLACES OF WORSHIP alberta.ca/BizConnect Email : [ email protected ] ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published : May 2020 Cultural and Religious Practices · Services should not include providing cooked food , open food , or beverages .
· Services must not include sharing food or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any contact between congregants such as hand shaking or the sharing of communal items ( e.g .
communion chalice ) .
· Social activities ( e.g .
communal dinners , lunches ) outside of services are not permitted .
Singing · Congregational singing is a high-risk activity and is not allowed .
Infected people can transmit the virus through their saliva or respiratory droplets while singing .
Consider soloist music or piano/guitar offertories as an alternative .
· While there is no evidence of exactly what a safe distance would be to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or two people are singing as part of a live streamed or recorded service , factors that would reduce risk would be having the singers face away from others , or having barriers ( e.g .
Plexiglass ) that separate those singing from each other and any others , and ensuring that there are no individuals with chronic medical conditions or those over 65 present .
· Note that if the singers are members of the same household , risk mitigation between them would be unnecessary .
Drive in Services · Drive-in services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or staging areas , and must meet the following conditions : o Event organizers must have measures in place to keep people from leaving their vehicles at the service .
o Vehicles should be separated by a minimum of two metres .
o Where washroom access is provided , frequent cleaning and disinfection must occur .
o People leaving their vehicles to use the washrooms must maintain a minimum of two metres of separation from others at all times .
Support for Public Health · To enable management of cases through contact tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congregants who were present for services .
· Maintain an up-to-date contact list for all staff and volunteers , including names , addresses and phone numbers .
Alberta government guidelines for restaurants , bars , cafes and pubs GUIDANCE FOR RESTAURANTS , CAFES , PUBS , AND BARS alberta.ca/BizConnect Email : [ email protected ] ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published : May 2020 Overview This document should be used to support operators in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 among guests and workers in restaurants , cafes , pubs and bars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guidance for Business Owners and are required to follow the Food Regulation and Food Retail and Foodservices Code .
Contact your local Public Health Inspector with Alberta Health Services for more information .
COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Dining Areas · Restaurants , cafes , pubs and bars must operate at no more than 50 % seating capacity .
Outdoor patio seating areas must also be at 50 % capacity or less .
· Arrange tables and chairs so that a 2-metre distance is maintained between each dining party .
· Aisles should be wide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintain physical distancing .
Consider using one-way traffic flow help maintain distancing .
· Physical barriers should be installed where tables can not be adequately separated .
For example , heighten barriers between adjoined booths .
· Businesses should facilitate ways to prevent infection transmission , such as : o The use of dividers between booths or tables , o Setting limits on the number of patrons per table , based on size .
A maximum number of patrons sitting together at larger tables should be 6. o Removing chairs .
· Remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( for example , salt and pepper shakers , ketchup , hot sauce ) .
· Consider keeping music to a low volume to help customers avoid leaning in to hear each another .
Entry and Waiting Areas · Control access to the dining area , by asking guests to wait to be seated .
· Ensure that customers have space to maintain physical distancing in waiting areas .
· Encourage table reservations to prevent lineups .
· Where possible , ask guests to wait outside until their table is ready , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ table is ready .
· Encourage guests to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer with at least 60 % alcohol content when entering and leaving .
Facility · To maintain awareness , post COVID-19 signage throughout the facility .
· Washroom capacity must allow for distancing between guests .
For example , consider closing alternate urinals .
· Thoroughly sanitize each table after customers leave .
· Washroom sanitation and supervision should be enhanced .
· Staff should perform hand hygiene frequently .
COVID-19 INFORMATION GUIDANCE FOR RESTAURANTS , CAFES , PUBS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email protected ] ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published : May 2020 Service · All dining must be table service only .
· Wait staff and servers who can not be protected by 2 metres of distance or a physical barrier must wear a cloth or surgical mask .
· Digital ordering devices , check presenters and other common touch areas must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after use .
· Where reusable menus are used , thoroughly clean and sanitize between clients .
Paper menus must be discarded after use .
· @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tables .
The person performing this task must follow hand hygiene practices .
· There can be no buffet service or self-service .
· Guests dining inside the restaurant must order food and drinks from the table .
· Continue to follow existing occupational health and safety ( OHS ) requirements .
Quick Service and Take Out · Demarcate floors with physical distancing markers in areas where line-ups occur .
Keep line-ups away from dining areas .
· Provide signage and guidance to guests regarding ordering and mobile orders .
Amusement · Facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take out only .
Recreational activities within bars , cafes , or pubs are not allowed at this time .
This includes dancing on dance floors , VLT play , billiards , pool tables , karaoke , shisha , hookah and water pipes , and other activities .
Published with permission from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms .

CALGARY, Alberta, May 19, 2020 (Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms) — The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (jccf.ca) has issued a legal warning letter to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney over his government’s arbitrary and unscientific treatment of houses of worship compared to restaurants and bars.
“There is a glaring difference between treatment of restaurants and bars, and treatment of houses of worship, when it comes to the permissible numbers of people, social distancing, the service of food, the requirement to record the names of Albertans who enter the building, the spacing of cars, and other important issues,” states lawyer and Justice Centre president John Carpay.
The Alberta government’s regulations for restaurants and for houses of worship are reprinted below.
When Alberta’s restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars re-open, they cannot exceed 50% capacity, but there is no limit to the number of customers allowed in at one time. So, a large restaurant that seats 300 people can still serve 150 customers at a time.
In contrast, houses of worship must reduce attendance to 50 people or one third (not 50% like restaurants) of normal worship service attendance, whichever is smaller. This means that a large temple that seats 1,000 or 2,000 people must still limit its attendance to only 50 people.
“Why are churches and mosques limited to 50 people when large restaurants can host 100 or 200 people?” asks Carpay.
Under Alberta’s relaunch regulations, diners at restaurants can sit together at the same table, even if they are not from the same household. In stark contrast, worshipers from differing households are required to maintain six-foot social distancing “at all times,” unless they live in the same household.
PETITION: Tell politicians not to discriminate against churches when reopening society! Sign the petition here.
“Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, has been saying for more than nine weeks that six-feet social distancing is as a life-saving necessity. Why is it suddenly fine for six restaurant patrons from six different families to sit side-by-side, one or two feet apart? Where is the science to support a completely different standard for churches?” continues Carpay.
Houses of worship are told they cannot provide “cooked food, open food, or beverages.” This attacks the central and long-standing Sikh tradition and practice of feeding all people, Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike, who come to the temple.
“Why is it not good enough for a Sikh temple — and other houses of worship — to adhere to the same standards that are imposed on restaurants?” asks Carpay.
Restaurants will see dozens or hundreds of unrelated strangers come and go every day, seven days a week. In contrast, most houses of worship have gatherings once per week, but are largely empty the other six days.
The Alberta government will also continue to ban communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper: “Services must not include sharing food or beverages. Services must not include any contact between congregants such as hand shaking or the sharing of communal items (e.g. communion chalice).” Restaurants serve food on plates that have been touched by at least several people and then carried through the restaurant past other patrons before being placed in front of the customer. In contrast, in Catholic churches the priest is the only person who touches the communion bread prior to its distribution directly to the communicant. [LifeSite editors’ note: According to the Catholic faith, the consecrated bread becomes the body of Jesus.]
“Why is Jason Kenney preventing Catholics from receiving communion, which is the focal point of their faith, when restaurants can serve food to customers from different households who are seated together at the same table?” questions Carpay.
The Alberta Government demands that if houses of worship host “drive-in” services, “[v]ehicles should be separated by a minimum of two metres.” No such requirement is imposed at Tim Hortons drive-throughs, where staff serve hundreds of customers every day, handing food and beverages to cars that are very close to the serving windows.
“Social distancing is a crucial life-saving measure, or it is not. Why single out houses of worship with this requirement?” points out Carpay.
The Alberta Government now directs houses of worship to “keep a listing of congregants who were present for services” and “maintain an up-to-date contact list for all staff and volunteers, including names, addresses and phone numbers.”
“Stores, restaurants, pubs, cafes, and bars do not have to inform the Alberta government about who their patrons are, let alone ask patrons for their addresses and phone numbers. Why should houses of worship be any different?” asks Carpay.
“Only in a police state is the government interested in tracking and recording the activities and movements of citizens,” the lawyer notes.
The Alberta Government also prohibits social gathering before and after worship services: “Social activities (e.g. communal dinners, lunches) outside of services are not permitted.” In contrast, restaurants are permitted to serve dinners and lunches every day, serving far more food to far more people than houses of worship do.
“If the government’s goal is to ‘reduce the spread,’ why are restaurants permitted to serve food while houses of worship may not?” says Carpay.
“In the course of a ‘gradual’ re-opening, which the Alberta Government claims as its goal, what is the rational and scientific basis for all these differences? At best, it appears that they are explained by a philosophy or worldview that sees restaurants as far more important than churches. At worst, these differences are an expression of anti-religious sentiments, and a dismissal of people’s essential need to worship and practice their faith,” concludes Carpay.
Alberta government guidelines for houses of worship
It is critically important that places of worship understand the potential for spread within their congregation and take steps to minimize the risk of spread and the impacts of COVID-19 on some high-risk populations. Places of worship should also follow the Workplace Guidance for Business Owners. Worship leaders are encouraged to continue to hold services remotely and using other creative mechanisms such as drive-in services.
All places of worship should follow the public health guidance below and review their programming and worship services to keep everyone, especially the most vulnerable, safe.
COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Supporting Congregants’ Safety
· Staff, visitors and congregation should use the self-assessment tool before attending. · Offer multiple services and opportunities to worship to reduce the attendance to 50 people or one third of normal worship service attendance, whichever is smaller and whichever ensures physical distancing will be maintained. · Staff, visitors, and congregation should be provided information on the requirements for operation and the importance to prevent the spread of COVID-19. · Consider posting signs indicating COVID-19 physical distancing protocols. · Physical distancing must be maintained between people who are not from the same household at all times. · Staff, visitors, and congregation may choose to wear non-medical masks, however, it is not required if physical distancing is maintained at all times. · Infants and children should remain with their parents or guardians at all times. Nursery/children’s church is not permitted. · Individuals not from the same household should be reminded to maintain physical distancing when returning to vehicles or homes. · Consider having cohort families, whereby two cohort families sit together with sufficient spacing between them and other cohort family pairs. Supporting Staff and Religious Leaders · Religious leaders should support COVID-19 prevention activities, procedures, and education. · Staff and volunteers should be given information and training about appropriate physical distancing, processes, and hygiene practices. · Staff should wear appropriate PPE if they are unable to maintain 2 metres of separation from congregants. Facilities · Control and stagger entry into facilities. · Congregant lineups should be reminded of the importance of physical distancing. This should be clearly marked to prevent congestion. · Organizations should maintain a single point of entry and a separate point of exit. · Hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol content must be available at facility entrance and exit and available throughout the venue. · Congregants should be reminded to clean their hands on entry and exit. · Develop and implement procedures for increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting of high traffic areas, common areas, public washrooms. · Frequently clean and disinfect high-touch/shared surfaces such as: doorknobs, light switches, toilet handles, faucets and taps, elevator buttons, railings. · Facilities should be cleaned and sanitized at least once between services. · Seating should be arranged or marked (in case of pews) to ensure social distancing. · Facility rental programs should be suspended if they cannot adhere to gathering restrictions.
COVID-19 INFORMATION GUIDANCE FOR PLACES OF WORSHIP
alberta.ca/BizConnect Email: [email protected] ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published: May 2020
Cultural and Religious Practices · Services should not include providing cooked food, open food, or beverages. · Services must not include sharing food or beverages. · Services must not include any contact between congregants such as hand shaking or the sharing of communal items (e.g. communion chalice). · Social activities (e.g. communal dinners, lunches) outside of services are not permitted. Singing · Congregational singing is a high-risk activity and is not allowed. Infected people can transmit the virus through their saliva or respiratory droplets while singing. Consider soloist music or piano/guitar offertories as an alternative. · While there is no evidence of exactly what a safe distance would be to prevent transmission from someone singing, if one or two people are singing as part of a live streamed or recorded service, factors that would reduce risk would be having the singers face away from others, or having barriers (e.g. Plexiglass) that separate those singing from each other and any others, and ensuring that there are no individuals with chronic medical conditions or those over 65 present. · Note that if the singers are members of the same household, risk mitigation between them would be unnecessary. Drive in Services · Drive-in services may be held in designated parking lots or staging areas, and must meet the following conditions: o Event organizers must have measures in place to keep people from leaving their vehicles at the service. o Vehicles should be separated by a minimum of two metres. o Where washroom access is provided, frequent cleaning and disinfection must occur. o People leaving their vehicles to use the washrooms must maintain a minimum of two metres of separation from others at all times. Support for Public Health · To enable management of cases through contact tracing and follow-up, keep a listing of congregants who were present for services. · Maintain an up-to-date contact list for all staff and volunteers, including names, addresses and phone numbers.
Alberta government guidelines for restaurants, bars, cafes and pubs
GUIDANCE FOR RESTAURANTS, CAFES, PUBS, AND BARS alberta.ca/BizConnect Email: [email protected] ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published: May 2020
Overview This document should be used to support operators in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 among guests and workers in restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars. Operators should also follow the Workplace Guidance for Business Owners and are required to follow the Food Regulation and Food Retail and Foodservices Code. Contact your local Public Health Inspector with Alberta Health Services for more information. COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Dining Areas · Restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars must operate at no more than 50% seating capacity. Outdoor patio seating areas must also be at 50% capacity or less. · Arrange tables and chairs so that a 2-metre distance is maintained between each dining party. · Aisles should be wide enough to allow room for people to maintain physical distancing. Consider using one-way traffic flow help maintain distancing. · Physical barriers should be installed where tables cannot be adequately separated. For example, heighten barriers between adjoined booths. · Businesses should facilitate ways to prevent infection transmission, such as: o The use of dividers between booths or tables, o Setting limits on the number of patrons per table, based on size. A maximum number of patrons sitting together at larger tables should be 6. o Removing chairs. · Remove table condiments and other frequently touched items (for example, salt and pepper shakers, ketchup, hot sauce). · Consider keeping music to a low volume to help customers avoid leaning in to hear each another. Entry and Waiting Areas · Control access to the dining area, by asking guests to wait to be seated. · Ensure that customers have space to maintain physical distancing in waiting areas. · Encourage table reservations to prevent lineups. · Where possible, ask guests to wait outside until their table is ready, and use technology to provide notice that a table is ready. · Encourage guests to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content when entering and leaving. Facility · To maintain awareness, post COVID-19 signage throughout the facility. · Washroom capacity must allow for distancing between guests. For example, consider closing alternate urinals. · Thoroughly sanitize each table after customers leave. · Washroom sanitation and supervision should be enhanced. · Staff should perform hand hygiene frequently. COVID-19 INFORMATION GUIDANCE FOR RESTAURANTS, CAFES, PUBS, AND BARS alberta.ca/BizConnect Email: [email protected] ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published: May 2020 Service · All dining must be table service only. · Wait staff and servers who cannot be protected by 2 metres of distance or a physical barrier must wear a cloth or surgical mask. · Digital ordering devices, check presenters and other common touch areas must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after use. · Where reusable menus are used, thoroughly clean and sanitize between clients. Paper menus must be discarded after use. · Use rolled silverware and do not preset tables. The person performing this task must follow hand hygiene practices. · There can be no buffet service or self-service. · Guests dining inside the restaurant must order food and drinks from the table. · Continue to follow existing occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements. Quick Service and Take Out · Demarcate floors with physical distancing markers in areas where line-ups occur. Keep line-ups away from dining areas. · Provide signage and guidance to guests regarding ordering and mobile orders. Amusement · Facilities are open for dining, delivery and take out only. Recreational activities within bars, cafes, or pubs are not allowed at this time. This includes dancing on dance floors, VLT play, billiards, pool tables, karaoke, shisha, hookah and water pipes, and other activities.
Published with permission from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.
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lifesitenews--2020-05-21--Parents bring 5 kids into bank staffed by social distancing fanatics, someone calls child services

May 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Government overreach is one thing .
Over-enthusiastic government employees or jumpy law enforcement during a pandemic is another .
We can tolerate these things — at least for a while .
But when government appears to be a threat to our families , that is something else .
That is the stuff of nightmares .
This brings me to a story out of Kentucky recently reported by the libertarian publication Reason .
In early March , the parents of seven children who had recently moved to the Bluegrass State headed to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Being recent arrivals , they took their kids along .
That ’ s when the trouble started .
According to Jim Mason of the Home School Legal Defense Association , Reason reported , “ [ b ] y the time they had returned home from their errand , a child protective services caseworker and a law enforcement officer were waiting at the door to investigate them for child abuse.
” Mason believes that this stunning overreaction is the result of widespread fear over COVID-19-based social distancing rules , and Reason obtained a copy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that confirmed the story .
The parents , who homeschool their children , left the two oldest in the car as they headed into the bank with the other five children , which featured a COVID-19 sign on the door .
According to Jim Mason : The teller immediately interrogated Bill and Kristy about why they had brought five kids into the bank at one time .
She [ the teller ] told them they could not get within six feet of her and that they needed to take the children out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ young to be left unsupervised by an adult , and neither she nor Bill could take them elsewhere because the couple were opening a joint account , and both had to be present .
While Bill stayed with the children away from the counter , Kristy opened the account , feeling self-conscious as the staff whispered to each other and watched her family suspiciously .
When Bill walked to the counter to show his New York ID and to sign , the bank staff asked why Bill 's and Kristy 's identifications were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explained .
Back at home , the authorities confronted Bill and Kristy , who discovered that someone had called in an anonymous tip claiming that a mother of five had taken her children out with a man who was n't their dad , and they had bruises on their arms that indicated rough grabbing .
According to Reason , the investigator “ proceeded to question the kids away from the parents , and he made at least one of the boys take off his shirt to look for bruises .
Kristy told Mason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same with the girls , but she objected , so he only pulled up the girls ’ sleeves and took photos.
” The investigator apparently did not wonder how a caller had spotted bruises on the arms of children wearing long sleeves in the first place .
PETITION : No to mandatory contact tracing and government surveillance for the coronavirus !
Sign the petition here .
It appears that whoever called the authorities was deliberately attempting to get the parents in trouble .
Bill and Kristy believe that it was someone who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had mentioned five children ( the other two having been in the car ) .
Additionally , the caller told lies specifically designed to set off warning bells , such as stating that the children appeared to have been physically abused as well as in the company of someone not their father .
The case , Reason noted , should have been cleared up quickly .
Bill ’ s driver ’ s license quickly proved that he was the father , and the reported bruises were nowhere to be found .
Unfortunately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incident like this is just the beginning .
Jim Mason told Reason that cases like this should be an “ off ramp , ” which means that if an investigator follows up on a call and finds nothing , he should simply leave ( take the “ off ramp . )
But instead , “ all too often investigators insist that they must robotically keep probing : opening cabinets , looking in the fridge , questioning kids .
This Kentucky investigator even questioned the family about which homeschool curriculum they were using , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case.
” The Home School Legal Defense Association has been attempting to get legislation passed that will ensure that investigators who find no evidence of abuse or other issues simply leave the families in question alone rather than continuing to poke around .
HSLDA and other groups also want states to ban the sort of anonymous reports that had law enforcement show up at Bill ’ s and Kristy ’ s door based on deceit .
They point out that it is easy for people to weaponize the process against parents and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case out of thin air .
As Reason noted , lawyers are working with Bill and Kristy — “ [ b ] ut the state gets 45 days to close an investigation , and Mason said it can easily get an extension , turning a time already tense with pandemic fears into a protracted period of torment.
” Jonathon ’ s new podcast , The Van Maren Show , is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement .
In his latest episode , he interviews Scott Klusendorf about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of locking down the country under the guise of preventing people from getting coronavirus .
You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below :

'By the time they had returned home from their errand, a child protective services caseworker and a law enforcement officer were waiting at the door to investigate them for child abuse.'
May 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Government overreach is one thing. Over-enthusiastic government employees or jumpy law enforcement during a pandemic is another. We can tolerate these things — at least for a while. But when government appears to be a threat to our families, that is something else. That is the stuff of nightmares.
This brings me to a story out of Kentucky recently reported by the libertarian publication Reason. In early March, the parents of seven children who had recently moved to the Bluegrass State headed to the bank to open a new account. Being recent arrivals, they took their kids along.
That’s when the trouble started. According to Jim Mason of the Home School Legal Defense Association, Reason reported, “[b]y the time they had returned home from their errand, a child protective services caseworker and a law enforcement officer were waiting at the door to investigate them for child abuse.”
Follow Jonathon van Maren on Facebook
Mason believes that this stunning overreaction is the result of widespread fear over COVID-19-based social distancing rules, and Reason obtained a copy of the letter from Child Protective Services that confirmed the story. The parents, who homeschool their children, left the two oldest in the car as they headed into the bank with the other five children, which featured a COVID-19 sign on the door. According to Jim Mason:
The teller immediately interrogated Bill and Kristy about why they had brought five kids into the bank at one time. She [the teller] told them they could not get within six feet of her and that they needed to take the children out. Kristy explained that the children were too young to be left unsupervised by an adult, and neither she nor Bill could take them elsewhere because the couple were opening a joint account, and both had to be present. While Bill stayed with the children away from the counter, Kristy opened the account, feeling self-conscious as the staff whispered to each other and watched her family suspiciously. When Bill walked to the counter to show his New York ID and to sign, the bank staff asked why Bill's and Kristy's identifications were from different states, which the couple explained. Back at home, the authorities confronted Bill and Kristy, who discovered that someone had called in an anonymous tip claiming that a mother of five had taken her children out with a man who wasn't their dad, and they had bruises on their arms that indicated rough grabbing.
According to Reason, the investigator “proceeded to question the kids away from the parents, and he made at least one of the boys take off his shirt to look for bruises. Kristy told Mason that the investigator wanted to do the same with the girls, but she objected, so he only pulled up the girls’ sleeves and took photos.” The investigator apparently did not wonder how a caller had spotted bruises on the arms of children wearing long sleeves in the first place.
PETITION: No to mandatory contact tracing and government surveillance for the coronavirus! Sign the petition here.
It appears that whoever called the authorities was deliberately attempting to get the parents in trouble. Bill and Kristy believe that it was someone who was inside the bank, as the caller had mentioned five children (the other two having been in the car). Additionally, the caller told lies specifically designed to set off warning bells, such as stating that the children appeared to have been physically abused as well as in the company of someone not their father.
The case, Reason noted, should have been cleared up quickly. Bill’s driver’s license quickly proved that he was the father, and the reported bruises were nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, it is often the case that an incident like this is just the beginning. Jim Mason told Reason that cases like this should be an “off ramp,” which means that if an investigator follows up on a call and finds nothing, he should simply leave (take the “off ramp.) But instead, “all too often investigators insist that they must robotically keep probing: opening cabinets, looking in the fridge, questioning kids. This Kentucky investigator even questioned the family about which homeschool curriculum they were using, as if that had some bearing on the case.” The Home School Legal Defense Association has been attempting to get legislation passed that will ensure that investigators who find no evidence of abuse or other issues simply leave the families in question alone rather than continuing to poke around.
HSLDA and other groups also want states to ban the sort of anonymous reports that had law enforcement show up at Bill’s and Kristy’s door based on deceit. They point out that it is easy for people to weaponize the process against parents and families they dislike and conjure a nonexistent case out of thin air. As Reason noted, lawyers are working with Bill and Kristy — “[b]ut the state gets 45 days to close an investigation, and Mason said it can easily get an extension, turning a time already tense with pandemic fears into a protracted period of torment.”
Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, he interviews Scott Klusendorf about the fundamental flaw Klusendorf sees in the idea of locking down the country under the guise of preventing people from getting coronavirus.
You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below:
Follow Jonathon Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. His commentary has been translated into more than eight languages and published widely online as well as print newspapers such as the Jewish Independent, the National Post, the Hamilton Spectator and others. He has received an award for combating anti-Semitism in print from the Jewish organization B’nai Brith. His commentary has been featured on CTV Primetime, Global News, EWTN, and the CBC as well as dozens of radio stations and news outlets in Canada and the United States. He speaks on a wide variety of cultural topics across North America at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions. Some of these topics include abortion, pornography, the Sexual Revolution, and euthanasia. Jonathon holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Simon Fraser University, and is the communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Jonathon’s first book, The Culture War, was released in 2016.
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lifesitenews--2020-05-21--‘God matters’: Conservative leadership candidate Derek Sloan calls on authorities to reopen Canada’s

‘God matters’: Conservative leadership candidate Derek Sloan calls on authorities to reopen Canada’s churches

PETITION : Tell politicians not to discriminate against churches when reopening society !
Sign the petition here .
May 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A pro-life candidate in the running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada called on authorities across the country to allow churches to reopen , saying “ God matters to many people.
” MP Derek Sloan made his comments in a May 20 email to followers titled “ NEEDED – a plan to reopen the churches & other places of worship.
” “ During this unprecedented and trying time , we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groceries , to get their alcohol , to get their marijuana , and to get their takeout food , all the while observing the protocols of social distancing that keep us safe , ” Sloan said .
“ We could — and we should — be allowing religious congregations to use their buildings in the same way , with limited seating and social distancing of course , until it ’ s safe to allow things to return to ‘ normal.
’ Emergency powers are intended to keep us safe , NOT to shred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and religion and of peaceful assembly , ” he continued .
“ I call upon provincial authorities across Canada to allow churches , synagogues , mosques , temples , and all other places of worship to reopen and hold worship services while adhering to social distancing protocols .
This is not a request for special treatment , but a request for equal treatment , ” he added .
Sloan said that in Canada “ we can all stay safe without surrendering our constitutional freedoms , including the freedom to worship in assembly.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a Saturday decision by Ontario Premier Doug Ford to allow for drive-in church services .
In response to Ford ’ s decision to allow for drive-in services , Sloan said the decision is welcomed but not good enough .
“ So now what ?
Premier Ford has amended the order and local police can no longer harass the ‘ drive-in ’ service .
Is everything now ‘ okay ’ ?
No , not quite .
Not by a long shot , ” Sloan said in his email .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — to start thinking about how churches and other places of worship are going to figure in the order of things as Canada gradually reopens , piece by piece .
Eight million Canadians attend worship services at least once a week , or at least they used to , just two months ago.
” Sloan then blasted the decision by Ontario ’ s government , which mirrors itself throughout Canada , that places of worship were deemed “ non-essential.
” “ It was a hurtful insult to these Canadians to have their places @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many provincial governments .
This is just the same as telling these people of faith , who put God at the centre of their lives , that religious worship is non-essential , that God doesn ’ t matter , ” Sloan said in his email .
Sloan recently spoke about his 12-point pro-life plan with Campaign Life Coalition ( CLC ) as part of the 2020 Virtual March for Life .
Sloan ’ s plan includes a ban on sex-selective abortion , a ban on partial-birth abortion , freedom of conscience for healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current euthanasia and assisted-suicide legislation .
Dr. Leslyn Lewis , the only other official pro-life candidate in the running , also spoke with CLC about her promised pro-life initiatives should she win the leadership race .
Sloan sparked a media frenzy for saying in a letter and video that Dr. Theresa Tam , Canada ’ s chief medical officer , should be fired for her coronavirus response .
Premier Ford ’ s post-coronavirus relaunch plan announced at the end of April does not specify when religious services will be allowed to resume .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ indoor religious services with a maximum capacity of 50 people , but no communion is permitted for Christian churches .
As a result , the JCCF yesterday served a legal warning to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney over “ his government ’ s arbitrary and unscientific treatment of houses of worship compared to restaurants and bars .
”

It's an insult, he said, to classify churches as non-essential and force people of faith to surrender their freedom to worship.
PETITION: Tell politicians not to discriminate against churches when reopening society! Sign the petition here.
May 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A pro-life candidate in the running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada called on authorities across the country to allow churches to reopen, saying “God matters to many people.”
MP Derek Sloan made his comments in a May 20 email to followers titled “NEEDED – a plan to reopen the churches & other places of worship.”
“During this unprecedented and trying time, we have found ways for people to get their groceries, to get their alcohol, to get their marijuana, and to get their takeout food, all the while observing the protocols of social distancing that keep us safe,” Sloan said.
“We could — and we should — be allowing religious congregations to use their buildings in the same way, with limited seating and social distancing of course, until it’s safe to allow things to return to ‘normal.’ Emergency powers are intended to keep us safe, NOT to shred our Charter-guaranteed rights to freedom of conscience and religion and of peaceful assembly,” he continued.
“I call upon provincial authorities across Canada to allow churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and all other places of worship to reopen and hold worship services while adhering to social distancing protocols. This is not a request for special treatment, but a request for equal treatment,” he added.
Sloan said that in Canada “we can all stay safe without surrendering our constitutional freedoms, including the freedom to worship in assembly.”
Sloan’s email was a response to a Saturday decision by Ontario Premier Doug Ford to allow for drive-in church services.
In response to Ford’s decision to allow for drive-in services, Sloan said the decision is welcomed but not good enough.
“So now what? Premier Ford has amended the order and local police can no longer harass the ‘drive-in’ service. Is everything now ‘okay’? No, not quite. Not by a long shot,” Sloan said in his email.
“It’s time — well past time, actually — to start thinking about how churches and other places of worship are going to figure in the order of things as Canada gradually reopens, piece by piece. Eight million Canadians attend worship services at least once a week, or at least they used to, just two months ago.”
Sloan then blasted the decision by Ontario’s government, which mirrors itself throughout Canada, that places of worship were deemed “non-essential.”
“It was a hurtful insult to these Canadians to have their places of worship classified as non-essential by so many provincial governments. This is just the same as telling these people of faith, who put God at the centre of their lives, that religious worship is non-essential, that God doesn’t matter,” Sloan said in his email.
“Well, God matters to many people.”
Sloan recently spoke about his 12-point pro-life plan with Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) as part of the 2020 Virtual March for Life. Sloan’s plan includes a ban on sex-selective abortion, a ban on partial-birth abortion, freedom of conscience for healthcare workers, and a review of the current euthanasia and assisted-suicide legislation.
Dr. Leslyn Lewis, the only other official pro-life candidate in the running, also spoke with CLC about her promised pro-life initiatives should she win the leadership race.
Sloan sparked a media frenzy for saying in a letter and video that Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief medical officer, should be fired for her coronavirus response.
Premier Ford’s post-coronavirus relaunch plan announced at the end of April does not specify when religious services will be allowed to resume.
Some provinces such as Alberta have allowed indoor religious services with a maximum capacity of 50 people, but no communion is permitted for Christian churches.
As a result, the JCCF yesterday served a legal warning to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney over “his government’s arbitrary and unscientific treatment of houses of worship compared to restaurants and bars.”
Share