Although each year Canada grants sanctuary to many refugees, some refugee claimants to Canada are forced to turn to other sources of asylum. One such individual was Mohamed Cherfi. You may remember him as an Algerian refugee claimant. Entering Canada via the US in 1999, he resided in Montreal. Cherfi sought refugee status on humanitarian [...]
Every January Catholics commemorate the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. This day is about both justice and celebration. It “celebrates the human drive to belong, to protect, to grow and to share in family, and the immeasurable importance of family in the lives of migrants and refugees in all corners of the world” (International [...]
When my husband moved to a different area of the city, he went looking for a church that was near his new apartment. The first one he tried out was pretty good. The hymn selections were appealing to him. The minister had a gentle and thoughtful presence in the pulpit. And the congregation seemed to [...]
Human trafficking is a problem with global implications. But it affects the lives of girls, women, and other vulnerable persons in deeply personal, deeply wounding ways. Hopefully during the Weekend of Prayer for Human Trafficking you were able to join us in learning more about human trafficking and praying for all those affected by this [...]
The Salvation Army is active in standing up against human sex trafficking. In 2004 it made the issue an international justice priority. The Army established an Anti-Trafficking Network worldwide and continues to advocate for victims and potential victims of human sex trafficking through the International Social Justice Commission. However, human trafficking is not limited to [...]
For a number of years my spouse and I lived in an apartment along a busy Montreal thoroughfare. Actually, we were situated at the limits of several different neighbourboods, each defined by a particular ethnicity and economic level. So our area was a kind of cultural crossroads. For all that, though, our corner of it [...]
I think we have a very ambiguous relationship with our bodies. I don’t think we really know what to make of them. It’s a problem that’s only exacerbated in death. Let me provide an example to illustrate what I mean. Are you familiar with the BODY WORLDS exhibit, developed by Gunther von Hagens? The show [...]
Several years ago, the Church of England issued a statement that organ donation is a Christian duty – one to which all Christians should consent. Donating your organs to needy recipients, the argument went, goes hand in hand with giving your possessions to the poor. It’s just another way of fulfilling the mandate Jesus gave [...]
Palliative care is concerned with quality of life. First, it aims to enhance quality of life for those who face a terminal illness. Second, it aims to enhance the quality of the dying process. Both of these goals are fulfilled by limiting negative implications of illness and decline, including pain and unpleasant symptoms, and by [...]
“Death with Dignity” is the slogan of the euthanasia movement. The act that made assisted suicide legal in the state of Oregon also goes by that title. And Dying with Dignity is the name of a Canadian non-profit organization that puts itself forward as the “voice for choice at the end-of-life.” But what does it [...]
