The Catholic faith of Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney

Twenty-four people have been prime minister in Canada. Ten of them have called the Roman Catholic Church home. That number will grow to 11 after this election since both Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney are Catholics. 

But what does being Catholic mean for each man? Neither have spoken about it; Poilievre has given no interviews about his faith and Carney is so new to politics that he hasn’t had time to delve into it. What we do know about both can be found online in the writing of others.

Read my recent column to learn what we know about the Catholic faith of the two top contenders to lead Canada after April 28. 

Faith, Trump, tariffs and trade war: More faith leaders speak out

During the pandemic, the Free Press invited clergy and other faith leaders to share reflections about faith and the Covid emergency—what they were saying to their congregations and denominations. 

These submissions were published on the faith section of the Free Press website; between 20-30 were published there. 

Canada has another emergency today—the threat of tariffs and trade war with the U.S. I have explored what this means for faith groups in some columns. But we also wanted to invite faith leaders to share more about this topic. What are they saying to their congregations and denominations? 

To that end, the Free Press is accepting submissions from local faith leaders about this current emergency situation. We have published six so far on the faith section of the Free Press website, including these new ones.

Local pastors best placed to deal with political issues: Applying the Scriptures to the current moment for a local congregation is par for the course for a pastor. By Yuri Hooker, senior pastor of Bethesda Church. 

We are not helpless or alone: Simple things you can do when the world is in turmoil. By Janessa Nayler-Giesbrecht, pastor of Jubilee Mennonite Church. 

A call to courage and hope in this consequential moment. By By: Michael Pahl, executive minister for Mennonite Church Manitoba.

And previous posts:

Michael Wilson, minister at Charleswood United Church: “Faith a way to counter anxiety.” 

Erik Reedman Parker, minister at Sherwood Park Lutheran Church: “Trump and Martin Luther: How to live a Christian life in this current world.” 

Peter Bush, formerly the minister at Westwood Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg and now the minister at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Fergus, Ont.: A prayer for a time of chaos and uncertainty. 

More will be coming! Already there are two more submissions ready to be edited. 

People of faith believe that faith has something to say about every situation facing people, even if only to trust God and not lose heart. And also about trade wars and tariffs.

New book explores the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of yoga

With an estimated seven million Canadians doing yoga, there’s no question the practice is popular today. 

But why is it so popular? That was the question on the mind of Paul Bramadat, director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria — and an avid yoga practitioner himself. 

Drawing from his own experience, and through conversations with hundreds of yoga teachers and students in the U.S. and Canada, Bramadat sought to find out what it means for people in the modern West. The result is his new book Yogalands: In Search of Practice on the Mat and in the World. 

Read my interview with Paul in my most recent column and also find out more about Yoga—why do more women than men do it? What is the main difference between those in the U.S. and Canada when it comes to doing Yoga? What about the spiritual aspects?

Clergy sexual abuse "unfathomable," says Archbishop of St. Boniface at special service for abuse survivors

 

“Unfathomable.” That’s the word Albert LeGatt, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Boniface, repeated multiple times last Friday during a prayer service that may have been the first of its kind across Canada — focusing on survivors of sexual assault committed by clergy. 

“When I think of this whole reality of sexual abuse, that’s the word that comes to mind,” LeGatt told about 75 people at Christ the King Parish on St. Mary’s Road. 

“When I hear stories from survivors and family members, I have a sense of the unfathomable. How could a person do that to another human being? To someone so little, whether that was by a priest, a parent, a coach, a teacher. How?” asked LeGatt. 

LeGatt said it is beyond his understanding how the church was silent on the subject for so long, as it just wanted it “to go away, not deal with it.” 

Read more about the service in the Free Press.

Photo above: Members of religious orders collect prayers during the service about survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Why are Canadian religious groups still silent about the impact of Trump's tariff threats?

(Don't you hate it when a columnist keeps banging on about the same thing? Here I go again . . . )

Earlier this week, a friend posted a prayer about Donald Trump’s tariffs and the silence of the churches over those threats. 

In it, he asked: “I thought you said you’d never let hell overcome it, O Lord. But seriously, what the hell is with your church?” 

It’s a good question. Six weeks after Trump launched the trade war, musing about taking over Canada, only one major Christian, Jewish or Muslim group or denomination has posted anything about this existential threat — despite the fact it dominates almost all discourse in this country these days. 

Read my recent column in the Free Press.

"It seemed the best time to become truly Jewish." Converts to Judaism spurred by Oct. 7 attack on Israel

 

Since Oct. 7, 2023, there has been an upsurge in antisemitism in Canada and around the world. But that hasn’t stopped some people from converting to Judaism. In fact, it has spurred some people to make the decision to convert. 

This includes Miriam Taylor-Pirogov (photo above), who was raised by a Jewish mother and attended a Winnipeg synagogue—but who never joined the Jewish faith. 

For her, the Hamas attack on Israel on was an awakening. The attack made her think it was time to go all-in. “I decided it was time to seize the day. It seemed the best time to become truly Jewish,” she said. 

Rabbi Kliel Rose has seen the new interest in converting since Oct. 7 first hand; it comes up frequently in conversation with people wanting to convert. 

“One man said he had thought for a long time about converting, then Oct. 7 pushed him into it,” he said. It was similar for a woman who is married to a Jewish man. “There was no pressure on her to convert, but she decided she had to do it after Oct. 7,” he said, adding a third person mentioned that date as an impetus for converting. 

Read my story about conversion to Judaism since Oct. 7 in the Free Press.

When election time comes, will Canadian Christians remember "the least of these?"

 

Reading about the Trump administration’s cuts foreign aid, putting the lives of what Jesus called “the least of these” in danger, Canadian Christians might be tempted to be smug. Surely we wouldn't do that here!

But before they get too high-minded, those Christians should remember that the leader of one federal party has pledged “massive” cuts to Canadian foreign aid if he is elected prime minister. It could happen here, depending on the outcome of the next election.

So, when election time comes, will Christians in Canada think of the least of these when they mark their ballots? It's going to be interesting to see what happens. 

Read my column in the Free Press.

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Impact of the pandemic, five years later: Scholars of religion weigh in

Five years ago in late February, I wrote in the Free Press about a mysterious new virus that was ravaging China. (I was ahead of the curve for once!)

“God full of compassion and mercy, we lay prostrate before you,” I quoted a pastor in that country as saying.

“Wuhan and the surrounding cities have now been closed, and the spread of the virus has exceeded our capacity. The city is surrounded by the shadow of death. We, the covenant people who have received great grace, cry out to You.”

Back then, it all felt so far away and remote, a problem for people in another country. 

But before long we were all living in that reality as Canada, along with most of the rest of the world, shut down due to the pandemic a month later. 

In spring 2021, at the height of the pandemic, I reached out to scholars of religion asking them what they thought religion might look like in Canada when the emergency was over. They talked about how things like how attendance would fall and online would grow. 

Last month I went back to them to see if they still stood by what they said. Spoiler alert: They did. 

Click here to read my column.