Government sends Foreign Minister to canonization

[SineQuaNon]

From Sunday's Globe and mail(Brother André becomes Canada’s first 21st-century saint - The Globe and Mail)

"The dignitaries were seated on the right side of the stage. They included speaker of the Canadian Senate, Noel Kinsella, and foreign minister Lawrence Canon. Neither prime minister Stephen Harper nor Quebec premier Jean Charest attended the event.

Mr. Cannon was beaming after the event because he managed to snag a short visit -- less than two minutes -- with Pope Benedict. He said they spoke in French. “I encouraged him to engage in dialogue between the faiths,” he told reporters. “He was very open to that.

Mr. Cannon called André’s canonization “a great day for the Catholic Church, for Canada and for Quebec...He actually personifies a lot of what Canada stands for.”

WTF !!
What happened to separation of church and state ? And since when did belief in magic personifie what Canada stands for. Effing idiots !!

 

[damngrumpy]

You are kidding right? I am not religious, but I do understand there is some
ceremony here, as with any event of public importance. Whether we want
to recognize it or not, this is an international story of interest. There are the
other times church ceremony has mention and attendance. Funerals, the
visit of foreign dignitaries, and special holidays, Christmas season, and
the Indo Canadian special holidays, always has politicians there.
This is not spreading religious doctrine, it is merely being respectful and
polite. Besides its a great photo op.

 

[petros]

The title sounds like they were firing a minister out of a canon. I'd pay 4 bits to see that.

 

[Bcool]

From Sunday's Globe and mail(Brother André becomes Canada’s first 21st-century saint - The Globe and Mail)

"The dignitaries were seated on the right side of the stage. They included speaker of the Canadian Senate, Noel Kinsella, and foreign minister Lawrence Canon. Neither prime minister Stephen Harper nor Quebec premier Jean Charest attended the event.

Mr. Cannon was beaming after the event because he managed to snag a short visit -- less than two minutes -- with Pope Benedict. He said they spoke in French. “I encouraged him to engage in dialogue between the faiths,” he told reporters. “He was very open to that.

Mr. Cannon called André’s canonization “a great day for the Catholic Church, for Canada and for Quebec...He actually personifies a lot of what Canada stands for.”

WTF !!
What happened to separation of church and state ? And since when did belief in magic personifie what Canada stands for. Effing idiots !!

Exactly! WTF is a Can Foreign Minister & 'official entourage' doing on my tax dime at a religious ceremony such as this? Let alone talk 'officially' as our Foreign Minister to the pope. A pope who sends out "papal bulls", IOW strict orders "else you won't get to heaven!", to Can MP's & MLA's ordering them to vote according to archaic & misogynistic catholic doctrine & not according to their constituent's OF ALL FAITHS, BELIEFS & NON-BELIEFS wishes or needs - the latter being that which they swore an oath to do BTW.

All that would have been appropriate IMO was for James Weisgerber, Archbishop of Winnipeg & General Secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops & his entourage to go & represent catholic Canadians on the CCCB's dime, not mine.

This was a gross political goof & giant suck up on Harper's watch & he should apologize to Canadians for it & fire the newt brained Canon.

Strongly disagree with you on this one for a change DG. And, yus, they should have shot him there by cannon, would have saved us a pile of Can $$$'s & hopefully left the idjut Canon too bruised & shell-shocked to talk to anyone, especially that pope!