Canada's top cardinal, Marc Ouellet, will clarify his controversial comments on abortion during a news conference Wednesday afternoon in Quebec City. Ouellet, the Archbishop of Quebec City, prompted a firestorm of criticism from politicians and women's groups earlier this month when he called abortion a "moral crime" as serious as murder.
Attending an anti-abortion rally in Quebec City on May 15, Ouellet said abortion is never justified, even in cases of rape.
Ouellet, the primate of the Catholic Church in Canada, also attended a large anti-abortion rally on Parliament Hill earlier this month where activists and some MPs urged the federal government to reopen the debate on abortion in Canada.
The comments were denounced by politicians, including Quebec Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Chrisitine St-Pierre.
"Never will we women, and many men in Quebec, go back to the days of knitting needles," said St-Pierre, referring to the types of crude instruments used in the days of back-alley abortions.
"[Abortion] is a choice that is a personal one, and we as a society have a duty to make sure that things are done in a safe way."
In a statement released last week, the Quebec City archdiocese said Ouellet, once touted as a possible candidate to become pope, was simply stating church doctrine.
SIC: CBC