by Peter Baklinski
OTTAWA, June 14, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The House of Commons and the Minister of the Crown were petitioned on Thursday to defund the CBC after it ran a skit that mocked the Catholic Mass, replacing the Eucharist with Timbits and coffee.
“The undersigned Canadians, the members of the Roman Catholic faith, feel that we have been negatively targeted, disproportionately misrepresented, and have had one of our most sacred sacraments maliciously ridiculed by the CBC and/or its programming,” Tory MP Mike Wallace read to the House as he presented four petitions on the matter on behalf of his Burlington, Ontario, riding.
The petitioners said that they were “appalled” when on February 19, This Hour Has 22 Minutes ran a sketch satirizing how a Canadian pope might “change the Church,” premised on the speculation that Cardinal Marc Ouellet was a leading contender to become the next pope in the conclave running at that time.
The skit depicts a bishop leading Mass, but changes the words to make them what CBC considered to be more suited to Canadians’ stereotypical politeness.
“Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins,” said the pseudo bishop: “But don’t be too hard on yourselves. There are two sides to every story.”
He then moves to the altar, where he lifts a cloth to reveal a Tim Hortons coffee and a box of Timbits. After simulating the consecration, and burning his lips on the coffee, he distributes the Timbits in a mock Communion line.
“[O]ur most sacred sacrament, the Holy Communion, was the object of an offensive and disrespectful attack, an attack to the very core of our faith, the Holy Eucharist,” read Wallace, who is himself Christian but who holds a pro-abortion voting record and is “not supportable” according to Campaign Life Coalition’s rating system.
“We draw to the attention of the House of Commons and the minister of the Crown that as taxpayers, as well as members of the Roman Catholic faith following the principles of Canadian values, we believe that we should not be forced to finance a crown corporation such as the CBC that acts in a discriminatory manner and disrespects our religion, or any religion.”
Faith and culture leaders around the country expressed outrage over the CBC skit.
“The CBC only exists courtesy of the taxpayers,” said Joanne McGarry, executive director of the Catholic Civil Rights League at that time. “We shouldn't have to pay to see the most sacred parts of Church life satirized to this degree.”
Ezra Levant, host of Sun News Network’s The Source, said on his show that while the skit might be funny to people who do not understand the Catholic Mass, it clearly is offensive to Catholics.
“For believing Catholics, in the sacrament of the Mass the wafer becomes the body of Christ and the wine becomes his blood,” he explained. “In the Catholic faith, the Eucharist isn't just a symbol of Christ, it actually becomes him.”
"I don't think that Catholics should have to pay for the privilege of being mocked,” he said.
Contact:
Hon. James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage
Phone: 613-992-9650
E-mail: james.moore@parl.gc.ca
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Toll-free: 1-866-306-4636
E-mail: Online Form
Tim Hortons
E-mail: Online Form
Disgusting. Don't they fear God? Veronica.
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