TORONTO, ON February 22, 2016 – On February 3, the Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Foreign Affairs Stéphane Dion in support of the Office of Religious Freedom and Ambassador Andrew Bennett. The CCRL called for the renewal of the office and its crucial mandate.
On February 11, executive director Christian Elia was quoted in the article, “Trudeau accused of ‘radical secularism’ over apparent plan to shutter religious freedom office” by Steve Weatherbe for LifeSite News.
On February 12, Elia was interviewed live on CTV News Channel as part of their coverage on Pope Francis’ historic meeting with Russian Patriarch Kirill, “1000 years in the making.”
Elia is further quoted extensively by Julia A. Seymour, writing for the World News Group in a February 22 article titled, “Canada contemplates closing its Office of Religious Freedom.”
A large part of the CCRL’s mandate is to work with the media in order to secure a fair and accurate hearing for Catholic positions on issues of public debate. Always faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium, we seek to help people understand relevant issues from a Catholic perspective.
We urge our supporters and friends to visit us regularly at ccrl.ca and to follow us at @CCRLtweets.
About the CCRL
Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) (www.ccrl.ca) assists in creating conditions within which Catholic teachings can be better understood, cooperates with other organizations in defending civil rights in Canada, and opposes defamation and discrimination against Catholics on the basis of their beliefs. The CCRL was founded in 1985 as an independent lay organization with a large nationwide membership base. The CCRL is a Canadian non-profit organization entirely supported by the generosity of its members.
For further information:
Christian Domenic Elia, PhD
CCRL Executive Director
416-466-8244
@CCRLtweets