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The Vatican’s announcement yesterday that Pope Francis has formally allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, although not in the context of marriage, is a small step toward the Catholic Church becoming more inclusive, but is also a reminder that LGBTQ people are still fighting to be recognized as equal to others, advocates say.
The ruling reaffirms the church’s position that marriage is an indissoluble union between a man and a woman, and includes several caveats to ensure blessings of same-sex couples do not occur in the context of anything resembling marriage.
Although the ruling says people in “irregular unions,” whether gay or straight, are in a state of sin, the fact that priests are now allowed to bless same-sex couples is “wonderful news,” said Frank Testin, president of Dignity Canada, an organization of Roman Catholics who promote what they call the “full personhood” of sexual minorities. “The institution is catching up to where the church members are,” Testin said.
A LGBT rainbow flag hangs from on the steeple of the parish church in the Breitenfeld quarter in Vienna, on March 25, 2021.ALEX HALADA/Getty Images
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Alberta Premier denies thwarting plan to hire Deena Hinshaw
Premier Danielle Smith avoided questions yesterday about allegations she interfered in Alberta Health Services’ plan to hire Deena Hinshaw, the province’s former chief medical officer of health, even as she said she frequently discussed staffing decisions with the head of the organization.
Smith said she had been in constant contact with John Cowell, the administrator of the AHS, but said the health authority’s leadership was responsible for staffing decisions. The AHS planned to hire Hinshaw into its Indigenous Wellness Core, a program that serves Indigenous communities.
Even before she became Premier, Smith was an outspoken critic of Hinshaw’s handling of the pandemic. The Premier removed Hinshaw from her post as chief medical officer in November, 2022.
Buying time: Slow grocery checkouts boost connection in a hurried world
In Red Deer, Alta., the “Slooooow Dooooown and Have a Chat Lane” is a popular destination for shoppers at the Eastview IGA grocery store. Here customers are encouraged to stop, look up and talk to Sharon Turner, a beloved cashier working the till.
Turner asks customers about their grandkids and latest vacations. There’s small talk about the weather, snow on the roads, and she’ll gently rib husbands who’ve forgotten their shopping bags.
As grocery shopping gets more automated and impersonal, with delivery, click-and-collect and self-checkouts proliferating, the idea of a slow lane staffed by a personable, patient, human cashier feels like a lost art, especially in cities where life can move at an unforgiving pace.
Grocers who’ve experimented with slow checkouts found customers appreciative of the interactions they foster – rare instances of familiarity, kindness and comfort in their daily grind.
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Also on our radar
Police urged to enforce laws after MPs face rise in threats: Police are facing calls to enforce more strictly Canada’s harassment and intimidation laws after four MPs’ offices, including that of the Prime Minister, were vandalized last week and some MPs, citing safety concerns, closed their constituency offices Monday to avoid pro-Palestinian protests.
Canada to join naval mission to safeguard Red Sea: Canada is joining a U.S.-led maritime force to protect commercial ships navigating the Red Sea that have come under attack from drones and ballistic missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The country’s initial contribution will be a handful of personnel who will likely be assigned to work at a regional U.S. command and help with operational planning, sources said.
Freeland, Carney top poll as preferred Liberal leader: Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney are more popular choices to lead the Liberal Party than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to a new Nanos survey conducted exclusively for The Globe and Mail. Eighteen per cent of respondents chose Freeland as the the most appealing potential candidate for Liberal leader, with Carney at 15 per cent and Trudeau at 9 per cent.
Jimmy Lai case adjourned: The trial of Hong Kong publisher and democracy activist Jimmy Lai was adjourned Tuesday for judges to consider the defence’s argument that prosecutors waited too long to charge the 76-year-old under a colonial-era sedition law. Opening arguments are delayed until next week.
At least 118 killed in China quake: More than 118 people were killed and hundreds more injured by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake in northwestern China yesterday, according to state media. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered “all-out” rescue efforts, but the high altitude of the region and freezing weather have hampered efforts by firefighters and rescue workers to get to the disaster area.
Election in Congo marred by violence: Nearly 44 million people are registered to vote in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s election tomorrow, but campaign violence, potential fraud and regional wars threaten to derail the election, which will determine who controls a country with some of the world’s largest reserves of critical minerals and carbon-absorbing rain forests.
Morning markets
European markets advance: European stocks rose in early trading on Tuesday and global shares were near their highest since April 2022 as traders bet on rate cuts next year, while the yen fell after the Bank of Japan stuck to its ultra-easy monetary policy. Just after 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.15 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 gained 0.41 per cent and 0.08 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei rose 1.41 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 0.75 per cent. New York futures were steady. The Canadian dollar was higher at 74.69 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Mark Lautens: “In short, newly arrived doctoral students don’t come here to bypass normal immigration processes. These remarkable young people are a boon to Canada who should be welcomed warmly and supported more generously.”
Peter Jones: “Looking ahead, the single most important thing for regional stability would be to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This would allow Arab countries to work more openly with Israel and the U.S. to thwart Iran.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon by David Parkins, Dec. 19, 2023.Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
The benefits of Copenhagen plank, and two other great plank variations
Planks are a basic exercise, but form the foundation of almost every other exercise. If you can perform a high-quality plank, more advanced movements are well within reach and you’re likely ready to give one of these progressions a shot.
Moment in time: Dec. 19, 1998
President Bill Clinton reacts to being impeached by the House of Representatives outside of the oval office in the White House Rose Garden, Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 1998.David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images
Clinton impeached by U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. president Bill Clinton was enjoying a 61-per-cent approval rating when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives decided to take a run at him for lying under oath about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, as well as obstructing justice during Paula Jones’s sexual harassment lawsuit against him. On this day 25 years ago, two of four articles of impeachment passed, mostly along party lines. On the sidelines of the Senate trial that followed, the GOP’s moral argument was weakened by revelations that several Republican congressmen had committed infidelity while in office. Later, Newt Gingrich – the Speaker of the House who led the push to impeach Mr. Clinton – admitted he, too, was having an affair as the trial took place. Although Mr. Clinton was acquitted, the impeachment seemed to be a dire (although ignored) warning to future presidents: Don’t ever lie to Americans. And all this time later, the Clinton articles of impeachment read quaintly in light of the two against another president for trying to blackmail an ally and, you know, attempting to overthrow the government. Micah Toub
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