The Tom Wappel Address - 2 of 7

The Tom Wappel Address to Catholic Clergy Luncheon - 2 of 7
The website – cinops be gone – Saturday, December 13, 2008

This is the second in a series of letters on the verbatim remarks by Tom Wappel. Two questions: 1) How should U.S. pro-life leaders comment on this shocking story? 2) How does the staff at USCCB and bishops perceive this story?

Continued from the posting of Tuesday, Dec. 10. This is the despite the fact that I belong to Toronto Council 1388 of the Knights of Columbus and, at the time that I joined, the Chaplain was from the Spiritan Fathers and their headquarters were at Neil McNeal. Over many years, Fr. Gossin and others asked the principal and others at Neil McNeal to ask me to a graduation or invite me to a class on politics or civics or whatever. The various grand knights of the 1388 spoke to the various principals and specifically asked them to invite me periodically.

Never was I invited to Neal McNeal Catholic High School. I did make a point of going if I had a public forum or something of that nature. But, I always found it strange that, given the kinds of things that I was standing for in the public arena, that I would never have been invited to one of the Catholic High School in the riding.

I never had, to the best of my recollection, ever a meeting with any bishop in Toronto at any time. I did meet with Bishop Tonnos in Hamilton on a number of issues but I found this strange because I thought that we were working on the same side.

Before I go any further, I should issue the caveat, please don’t shoot the messenger – it is not going to get better as we go along but I am hoping that I give you something to think about and discuss with your colleagues.

I think it is fair for me to say, THAT IN MY 20 YEARS AS A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, IF NEVER RECEIVED AN ENCOURAGING LETTER FROM ANYONE IN THE CLERGY ABOVE THE RANK OF MONSIGNOR.

I went to Mexico as a Canadian delegate with Roseanne Stoke, who was an MP at that time from a central northern riding in Nova Scotia on the Pontifical Institute of the Family. There were cardinals there from Mexico, South America, the United States – that is where I got an opportunity to hear Cardinal O’Connor address us – what a wonderful man he was and what a man of faith as far as I could judge and certainly an inspiration to me.

I was shocked and disappointed to find that there was absolutely no clergy from Canada above the rank of Monsignor. There was no explanation as to why there was no bishop, auxiliary bishop; - there were all kinds of cardinals from all over the place, but not from Canada. I wrote to the Holy Father about this when I returned from Mexico – offering him some suggestions. I don’t know if that did any good – it is possible.

George H. Kubeck,