Lifesitenews.com is a right-wing, ultra-conservative organisation that pretends to be a voice for Catholics in Canada and the US. As a Catholic teacher, I am offended by the way they portray my union, OECTA. Now, I think everyone is entitled to his opinion, and I voiced my dissent with their stance on homosexuality some six months ago. Today, I tried to write something in defence of my union, only to find that I am no longer allowed to post on their website. Apparently, I struck a nerve, or maybe they did not like my pointing out the absurdity of their comments. I wrote the following in regards to gay marriage and Catholic teachers :
I think Christ would let his children know that they are always welcome in his home. He would not shun those he loved. If teachers do not demonstate support for their students, then students will not bother to attend Catholic schools and there is little chance that they will be exposed to Catholic values and traditions elsewhere. Many students’ sole contact with the Church is through the schools.
I do not see my comments as incendiary, heretical or even mildly offensive. Be that as it may, it seems that managing director, Steve Jalsevac, does not appreciate my criticism of his posts. Consequently, while Life News writers continue in their anti-union, stop the gays tirades, I have been banned from presenting a respectfully different Catholic voice. I support my union for taking part in the Gay Pride Parade. If we are to end bullying, we have to be unequivical in our support of students.
In any case, it irks me that an organisation that pretends to promote Catholic values is so narrow-minded that it feels that it is better to limit my freedom of expression than it would be to counter my views with a rational argument. Moreover, their strait-laced, holier-than-thou, I-know-what God-thinks approach makes Catholics look bad, and that is inherently not good for Catholic education.