TORONTO, Canada, May 28, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation independently approved a recently-aired anti-Catholic comedy that offended Catholics by depicting the Communion host as snack food, according to a spokesperson for Canadian Television Fund.
CBC denied approving the controversial pilot show of The Altar Boy Gang that ran May 11, which mocked the Catholic sacraments of Holy Communion and Confession. A public outcry following the show’s airing led CBC Television’s executive vice-president Richard Stursberg to send a letter to the National Post defending the CBC, in response to an editorial in the paper condemning the anti-Catholic bias.
While saying the CBC agreed with the Post that The Altar Boy Gang was “unlikely to appeal to audiences,” Stursberg claimed the broadcaster was forced to run the pilot episode of the show.
“Unfortunately, because the pilot was financed with public funding, including tax credits and Canadian Television Fund (CTF) monies, we were required to put it on air,” Stursberg wrote.
“Had we decided to turn the pilot into a series, we would have followed the same process we did when developing Little Mosque on the Prairie and worked with a consultant to ensure religious practices were treated sensitively.”
CTF, however, said broadcasters were not required to air programs against their discretion. Communications director MaryBeth McKenzie said CBC would have been fully aware of what was in the program and would have approved the script prior to production, in an interview published on CanadianChristianity.ca.
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 Jester Hat Tip: |
Kathy Shaidle | ||
11 comments
Winnipegstatementland
In reference of course to the statement made by the Canadian Catholic Bishops Conference saying that Catholics are free to follow their conscience on the matter of the use of contraceptives in 1968 following Humanae Vitae. True, we do have an obligation to follow our conscience. Unfortunately the bishops neglected to point out that the conscience must be informed.
“Little Mosque on the Prairie”??????
Yup, sounds like some touchy-feely muslims adjusting to life in the Canadian heartland pap.
I was just in Canada and saw an article on the show.
“followed the same process we did when developing Little Mosque on the Prairie and worked with a consultant to ensure religious practices were treated sensitively”
If you produce a show called “Little Mosque on the Prairie” isn’t it kind of a given that the producers don’t give a hang about “sensitivity” of the followers of said religion? Isn’t that kind of Animal Farm-ish – “if Napolean says it, it must by right”, or the truth? Does anyone believe that statement from CTF? Why doesn’t it matter?
(Pat puts soapbox away)
“Little Mosque on the Prairie”?
Welcome to Winnipegstatementland.
You mean, Winnipegistan???
Seriously, though folks American and others…
The CBC is a government owned national broadcaster. You might compare it a little to PBS. They gave birth to environmental god David Suzuki. In the good old days it was where Lorne Green (Canadian Ben Cartwright) and Morley Saeffer (of 60 minutes) got their starts. Unless you are a hockey fan and love Don Cherry or like the Canadian Antiques Roadshow, there really is no excuse for its continued existence. The producers and bureaucrats have too longed suckled on the teat of the Canadian taxpayer!
But, until we get a Conservative majority government, we are stuck with this marxist infiltrated national broadcaster.
Little Mosque on the Prairie is the story of a Pakistani family and their move to flatland, redneck Saskatachewan and their fitting in.
But the anti-Catholic bigotry is nothing new for the national broadcaster and guardian of Canadian identity—didn’t y’all here about “The Boys of St. Vincent’s?”
Leftist state-run TV mocking the faith? It could be worse, just ask the Mexicans.
What really burns is the fact that this is produced with the taxes of Canadian people. Is there a system of redress whereby the people can sue the government?
Didn’t think so.
Of course it was funded with taxpayer dollars, it’s an educational comedy. I’m sure that the Canadian Gov’t thinks us benighted catholics need to be told that the Eucharist is just a biscuit. For our own good, see?
O Canada, that’s my country eh? And my tax dollars.
CBC not liked Catholics for a very long time. This is nothing new only a little more brazen. Want to know something folks? It’s going to get worse, much worse before it gets better. How about the bill tabled in Quebec that would have it illegal to tell your own children in your own home not that homosexuality is abnormal but that heterosexuality is normal. Oh yeah, it’s gonna get much worse eh?” F’sure, f’sure. Got that right.
Stubblespark;
If you go to my blog at voxcantor.blogspot.com you can read the response from the CBC Ombudsman!
Of course, after I got the answer, I wrote back and asked why they bother having an Ombudsman.
I have written my Member of Parliament who happens to be a former Harvard Professor so I won’t expect much from Mr. Ignatieff.
The Canadian Catholic Civil Rights League has been taking up the challenge…
Once again, welcome to the first century, folks.
But do we really want the popular or government (secular) media, such as they are today, to approve of God’s truth and the body of Christ? Frankly, that would worry me. It would be like Caligula or Nero approving of those pesky followers of “Chrestus” (as Claudius I labeled us).