By DONALD DeMARCO
Have you heard of the liberal atheist who was so liberal that he believed in God? Personally, I have not, though I have come across many Catholics who are so “liberal” that they have become entrenched anti-Catholics. One outstanding example of this strange inversion is would-be prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.
In defense of his own brand of Catholicism, Trudeau the Younger claims that he received it from a most reliable source: his father. “I had an extraordinary example in a father who had deeply, deeply held personal views that were informed by the fact that he went to church every Sunday, read the Bible regularly to us, and raised us very, very religious, very Catholic,” Trudeau wrote to his supporters.
“At the same time he had no problem legalizing divorce, decriminalizing homosexuality, and moving in ways that recognized the basic rights of the people.”
It was Pierre Elliott Trudeau who legalized abortion in Canada and liberalized divorce. Apparently, the father taught his son that Catholicism opposes human rights. If he truly believed that, why would he remain a Catholic? Nonetheless, he regards his dissent from Catholic moral teaching as “a cherished legacy from his father.”
Pierre’s son strongly favors abortion and same-sex marriage. In Canada these days, such views coming from a politician hardly create news. But Justin Trudeau has gone a little further than most politicians, recently, by making the following declaration: “I have made it clear that future candidates [for the Liberal Party] need to be completely understanding that they will be expected to vote pro-choice on any bills” (Toronto Star, May 8, 2014).
He further embarrassed himself when he proclaimed, one day before a massive pro-life demonstration in Ottawa, that the abortion debate “has been settled for the vast majority of Canadians.” The presumed minority of pro-life supporters has little place in Trudeau’s “democracy.”
Here is where the “liberal” morphs into a dictator. Trudeau is against conscience, what science has to say about the unborn, human rights, diversity, pluralism, inclusiveness, the minority voice, and the choice to be pro-life. Stephen Wordworth, a Conservative member of Parliament, has likened Trudeau’s stance to that of King Louis XIV who is reputed to have said, “L’État, c’est moi” (I am the state).
Trudeau’s dictatorial stance has not gone unchallenged by the Catholic hierarchy in Canada. Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton said he was outraged at Trudeau’s position, calling it “dictatorial.” “Here we have a man,” the Most Rev. Smith went on to say, “who would like to be prime minister some day, dictating to party members that they must vote against fundamental human rights. In effect, what they’re saying is, ‘There’s no choice but pro-choice.’ That’s a contradiction in itself.”
Archbishop Fred Henry of Calgary characterized Trudeau as ‘tweedledum-dumb,’ who has “his own brand of bilingualism: He pledges open nomination races and at the same time asks for the suppression of conscience. Apparently, logic isn’t his strong suit,” stated the bishop.
Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast issued a statement reminding Trudeau, who flaunts his self-described Catholicism in the mainstream media, that if one dissents from the Church’s teaching on life, he cannot “be considered a Catholic in good standing.”
Thomas Cardinal Collins, archbishop of Toronto, wrote Trudeau a personal letter asking him to “reconsider” his position while informing him that the policy of banning pro-life candidates would exclude even Pope Francis from running for office in his party. “I am deeply concerned,” the cardinal went on to say, “about your decision that citizens who, in conscience, seek to assure the protection of the most vulnerable among us are not acceptable as candidates in your party.”
Apparently, Justin Trudeau is more Catholic than the Pope.
Even the secular press got into the act. “Frankly this guy scares me. Not only is he too authoritarian,” wrote liberal columnist Luisa D’Amato, “he hasn’t even been honest about it” (Waterloo Regional Record, May 9, 2014).
A bogus Catholic who thinks that opposing abortion is opposing human rights makes for a bogus politician. Legalizing abortion is a form of incipient dictatorship. How far will this attitude extend itself in the domain of politics? Justin Trudeau is not advancing Catholicism; he is imposing his own form of tyranny.
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Donald DeMarco is a senior fellow of Human Life International. He is professor emeritus at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo, Ontario, and an adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., and a regular columnist for St. Austin Review. Some of his recent writings may be found at Human Life International’s Truth & Charity Forum.
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