Religious freedom questioned after pastors muzzled
PEGGY'S COVE, NS–Months after a memorial service for the 229 victims of last September's Swissair disaster off the coast of Nova Scotia, United Church minister Carolyn Nicholson still does not have a satisfactory answer to the question why she was not allowed to use Christian scriptures or mention the name of Jesus.
What she does have is a lot of support for her assertion that she should have been able to speak for her beliefs at the multi-faith service, where Jewish and Muslim religious leaders quoted freely from their own scriptures.
Nicholson, minister of the United Church's Glen Margaret pastoral charge, was asked to say the blessing and offer an opening prayer during a service attended by family members of the victims of the September 1 crash. Nicholson agreed, but then the government protocol official who asked her stipulated that there were to be no references to anything specifically Christian.
Both she and Roman Catholic priest Duncan McMaster complied with the request, only to learn–too late–that participants from Native spirituality, Islam and Judaism had not been given the same restrictions.
Several editorial writers and columnists have jumped on the freedom-of-religion bandwagon. A Calgary Herald editorial says the restrictions apparently placed on two Christian ministers by government officials is disturbing "because it smacks of the mindset which dictates that since Christianity is the predominant religion in Canada, it is offensive to minorities and therefore must be stifled when members of those minorities are present."
Syndicated columnist George Jonas is more blunt. The government directive doesn't surprise him, he wrote in a Christmas Eve article. "Our men and women of God do. They protest and complain to the press now, but at the time acquiesced in the bureaucrats' request."
Jonas thinks Nicholson and McMaster should have stood their ground. "Why would Christian clerics agree to participate in a memorial service on condition they make no reference to the New Testament or Jesus?"
Difficult decision
In a September 30 letter to Jean Chretien, Nicholson assured the prime minister that her decision was extremely difficult. "I felt that I had to choose between my integrity as a Christian minister or my desire to offer comfort to the families and the people of my faith who attended the service," she wrote. She chose to offer comfort.
There's still confusion, however, over who actually gave the order to Nicholson and McMaster. In an article in the National Post, Nicholson said a government protocol officer asked her to take part in the service. But the reply she received from the Prime Minister's Office said the PMO was not involved in organizing the event.
Nicholson could not be reached for comment by press time.
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