HAMILTON, Ontario -- An ethical scandal erupted in Canada last week when it was announced that former U.S. President Bill Clinton, a staunch supporter of legal abortion, is scheduled to speak at a fund-raiser for a Catholic hospital here.
The Morgan Firestone Foundation, which regularly raises funds for St. Joseph's Catholic hospital, booked Clinton to speak at the fund-raiser to take place May 2, but only finalized the booking after clearing it with the Sisters of St. Joseph who run the hospital.
Craig Dowhaniuk, spokesman for the foundation, said that prior to booking Clinton, the organization "approached the hospital and the nuns for their blessing," realizing there could be conflict around the selection and not wanting to "cause any embarrassment." The foundation was well aware of the controversy that would accompany the event. Dowhaniuk admitted that he vividly recalled a 1991 protest over the scheduling of then-New York Gov. Mario Cuomo to speak at a fund-raiser for the same hospital.
Dr. Carmelo Scime, president of Campaign Life Coalition Hamilton, a local pro-life group, also recalls the protest over Cuomo. Scime recalls that Hamilton Bishop Anthony Tonnos refused to attend the fund-raiser and sent a letter to his priests urging them and parishioners not to attend the event due to Cuomo's pro-abortion stand.
With American companies admitting wrongdoing over Clinton speech invites and some retracting invitations from the scandal-ridden former president, many Americans were shocked that a Catholic hospital in Canada would raise no objections to having Clinton do a fund-raiser. To wit, an article in the National Review asked, "What exactly is a president who vetoed a ban on partial-birth abortion doing as a headliner at a Catholic hospital?"
The article concluded saying, "The local Catholic ordinary might consider taking a page from one southern neighbor -- James C. Timlin, the bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania, who rescinded a Catholic hospital's invitation to then-Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore to speak at a Catholic hospital about the economy and health care."
Several U.S. Catholic pro-life activists contacted the Sisters of St. Joseph in Hamilton to voice their objections to the Clinton talk. Sister Anne Anderson, president and chair of the St. Joseph's Health Care System returned calls and left messages indicating that she was reporting the calls to the U.S. Consulate. One message Anderson left on the answering machine of California resident Allyson Smith said, "We really do have to report these calls to the U.S. Consulate, so I hope that you'll understand."
Smith said she had left a message with Anderson expressing her dismay that the most pro-abortion president in U.S. history, Bill Clinton, had been invited to speak on behalf of a Catholic institution. After hearing the response from Anderson, Smith reacted, saying, "Faithful Catholics such as myself, who took the time and trouble to contact the sisters, are rewarded for their efforts by being reported to the U.S. Consulate."
Anderson confirmed her calls and said that security measures required that all calls and e-mails be submitted to the U.S. Consulate so as to ensure Clinton's safety. When Smith called the U.S. Consulate in Toronto to inquire about her being reported, she was told: "Your name's not going to be entered on any list. They only take credible threats. She's only doing what she feels is her Canadian patriotic duty. Rest easy."
Anderson said she had been unaware of the extent of Clinton's pro-abortion beliefs.
It has been over a week since Clinton's forthcoming speaking engagement was announced, and there has been no official response yet by the Hamilton diocese. Perhaps that added to the impetus to book Clinton for a second appearance. The Firestone Foundation sold all its 1,090 tickets to the event on the first day -- at $200 each. But there was a waiting list of some 800 people, and Dowhaniuk tried unsuccessfully to book a second Clinton appearance.
Letters, phone calls and e-mails have been pouring in to the diocese, the hospital and the sisters regarding the matter, and protests are being scheduled. A lively debate in the local paper has seen at least one Catholic official respond.
Father Luc Payette, Pastor Paroisse Notre-Dame du Perp?tuel-Secours, wrote in a letter to the editor to the Hamilton Spectator: "In the case of St. Joseph's Hospital, the guest speaker must be pro-life since it is that hospital's official stance. This is why Mr. Clinton should never have been invited as a guest speaker since his widely known defense of abortion directly contradicts St. Joseph's Catholic moral code, and therefore causes grave scandal."
Payette added, "As a Catholic Christian, I would welcome Mr. Bill Clinton to this above-mentioned gathering if he were to publicly repent from his stand on abortion, especially partial-birth abortion and other pro-choice issues."
John-Henry Westen is the editor of LifeSite News. His LifeSite articles have appeared in The Wanderer, Crisis, Challenge, Zenit News, Catholic World News, EWTN News and other publications.