The city has ordered a Catholic group that had donated a nativity scene outside of Old City Hall to remove a plaque identifying an anti-abortion group as the donor of the statues of Baby Jesus and his entourage.
Suresh Dominic of Gethsemane Ministries said city officials asked him to remove a small plaque identifying Campaign Life Catholic as the donor over concerns of the group’s abortion stance.
“If you walk up there, you will see a nativity scene. The important thing is that this is a gift that we made to the city and the people,” Mr. Dominic said Wednesday.
Large painted statues of Mary, Jesus, Joseph and some animals are included in the display by the political wing of the Campaign Life Coalition, which counts among its responsibilities lobbying all levels of government. Gethsemane Ministries, a lay Catholic movement based in Brampton, donated the crèche itself.
The donation sign, which was removed Wednesday afternoon, indicated that Campaign Life Catholic donated the statues in honour of “pro-life hero Fr. Ted Collecton,” a decades-long abortion opponent who retired two years ago.
“˜”˜Whatever side you’re on, doesn’t matter. Neither side should be there,’’ Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker (Scarborough Centre) told Global News.
In a statement, a city communications official said: “˜”˜The nativity scene that is currently located on the front lawn of Old City Hall has been located there during the Holiday Season for the past 14 years. A plaque had been erected, relating to “Campaign for Life,” which wasn’t approved as part of the permit and does not comply with the City of Toronto’s Human Rights Policy. As a result, the plaque will be removed.’’
Mr. Dominic said his ministry had been responsible for the nativity scene at Old City Hall since 2006. In 2007, the scene’s statues were vandalized and broken, meaning they had to be replaced.
After renting a set last Christmas, the Ministry turned to the Campaign Life Catholic donation to defer expenses.
“It was costing us $500 to rent the statues for a month, so we decided to find someone who would donate the statues to us,” Mr. Dominic said. He said the display is donated for free, so he doesn’t understand why the group’s involvement is an issue.
“I believe not only Catholics but many people do not agree with abortion, the killing of the unborn. A donation of a statue, especially during the Christmas season, is not a big deal,” he said.
Some pro-choice groups disagree, calling the donation an attempt to advance a political agenda under the auspice of a holiday celebration.
“Pro-life groups represent a very tiny but active group of Canadians who would use Advent and Christmas, which is a Christian festival, to promote their ideas through the sentimentality around that Christian feast. I don’t think it is appropriate in the pubic forum,” said Catholics for a Choice Canada coordinator Rosemary Ganley.
“We are disappointed that it is there.”
With files from Jackson Proskow, Global News
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