鈥淭hey鈥檙e calling it Quiet Spring because it鱿鱼视频app a revolution,鈥� said Levesque. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to propose another way of thinking.鈥�
The Assembly of Quebec Bishops has alerted pastors and the faithful that they want church bells ringing out at 2 p.m. across the province in support of Earth Day protests. Montreal Archbishop Christian L茅pine sent out an additional letter to parish priests and parochial administrators urging them to organize parish groups to take part in the protests.
鈥淭he Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec encourages Christians to involve their parish communities in this Quebec Springtime,鈥� said an AECQ press release that includes suggestions for public reading of a 22 Avril manifesto that calls on Canada to remain committed to the Kyoto Protocol and make serious efforts to control and regulate Athabasca oil sands and other natural resource industries.
鈥淧eople will want to express their concerns not just around the environment but about everything around the common good,鈥� said Marco Veilleux, the Jesuit provincial delegate for the social apostolate in Quebec. 鈥淭here is a criticism 鈥� a lot of anger. This event will mobilize people.鈥�
As is often the case in Quebec, the protest got its start with Quebec鱿鱼视频app artistic community. Songwriter Gilles Vigneault (鈥淢on Pays鈥�) appealed for churches to ring their bells by saying that he is a church warden appealing to every other church warden in Quebec. Cirque du Soleil is promising to spice up the protest with a special, secret presentation. Quebec artist of the year Dominique Champagne launched the Quiet Spring movement with an appearance on Quebec鱿鱼视频app most popular television talk show, Tout le Monde en Parle.
On the Church side, support for the 22 Avril Quiet Spring includes Dominican Father Benoit Lacroix, a 96-year-old author of some of Quebec鱿鱼视频app most popular books about Scripture and spirituality. Church-based activists including Levesque, archdiocese of Montreal social justice office director Brian McDonough, retired bishop of Amos Gerard Drainville and Sr. Estelle Lacoursi茅re have been active organizers of the protests.
The protest needs the Church, said Quebec dancer and 22 Avril spokeswoman Margie Gillis.
鈥淭his is a basic, fundamental, human issue for all of us and of course the Church has a strong and fundamental role to play in that,鈥� she told The Catholic Register.
Quebeckers have come to see the environment as a moral and human issue, said Gillis. Efforts by the provincial and federal governments to protect and promote Quebec鱿鱼视频app asbestos industry have shocked people, she said.
鈥淧eople here in Quebec are saying 鈥楢sbestos? We are selling a known carcinogen to other countries? I don鈥檛 want to be responsible and I don鈥檛 want my government to be responsible for making money by killing somebody,鈥� 鈥� said Gillis.
Whether it鱿鱼视频app asbestos mining, fracking for shale gas in the St. Lawrence Valley or federal government subsidies to oil sands developers in northern Alberta, environmental issues are the source of a lot of Quebec anger aimed at both the provincial and federal governments, said the archdiocese of Montreal鱿鱼视频app McDonough.
鈥淭his spoke to the hearts and minds and conscience of Quebeckers. The Church people are part of that movement,鈥� said McDonough.
It鱿鱼视频app also an issue on which the Church has the credibility that comes with 30 years of campaigning on environmental issues. The Quebec bishops鈥� 2001 statement 鈥淐ry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor鈥� and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops鈥� 2003 and 2008 pastoral letters, 鈥淭he Christian Ecological Imperative鈥� and 鈥淥ur Relationship With the Environment: The Need for Conversion,鈥� have been dusted off for study in parishes in the run-up to April 22.
The ecumenical Green Church project is distributing signs for the protests with slogans that include: 鈥淔or the love of God take care of the Earth,鈥� 鈥淕od bless environmentalists for they take care of creation,鈥� and 鈥淚f you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.鈥� The last of these is the title of Pope Benedict XVI鱿鱼视频app 2010 World Day of Peace message.
鈥淎ll these things began to penetrate into the consciousness of Catholic Christians,鈥� said McDonough.
The vocal minority in English Canada that questions why the Church would promote environmentalism is absent in Quebec, said McDonough.
鈥淭hat鱿鱼视频app completely out of sync with the Catholic Church as it鱿鱼视频app experienced in Quebec 鈥� seriously out of sync with what鱿鱼视频app happening in Quebec,鈥� he said.
While conceding that protests will be bigger in Quebec, Gillis doesn鈥檛 think the 22 Avril Quiet Spring will be limited to Quebeckers.
鈥淓verybody across Canada has got something to say,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are going to be Earth Day movements across Canada.鈥�
Quebec churches on board for Earth Day protests
By Michael Swan, The Catholic RegisterWhat could be the largest protest ever on the streets of Montreal has full Church backing. Earth Day protesters who gather next to the Place des Arts in downtown Montreal will be backed up by Church bells ringing from most of the city鱿鱼视频app 230 Catholic churches.
Organizers are predicting the April 22 protests will draw more people than March demonstrations against a 75-per-cent tuition hike. The student protest brought about 100,000 onto Montreal鱿鱼视频app streets. Earth Day has a broader appeal in Quebec than the tuition fee issue, said Green Church director Norman Levesque.
Please support The Catholic Register
Unlike many media companies, The Catholic Register has never charged readers for access to the news and information on our website. We want to keep our award-winning journalism as widely available as possible. But we need your help.
For more than 125 years, The Register has been a trusted source of faith-based journalism. By making even a small donation you help ensure our future as an important voice in the Catholic Church. If you support the mission of Catholic journalism, please donate today. Thank you.
DONATE