Thomas Collins, former Archbishop of Edmonton, has been appointed Archbishop of Toronto. Therese from Free Dominion has some tidbits about the guy:
He was very young when appointed bishop of St. Paul, early fifites. He was quickly moved to Edmonton and became Archbishop there. He is very focused and neither right nor left, just a solid Catholic. He keeps an eye on things and quietly cleans house when he needs to.
I am told by some in the know that he is well like by the Pope.
I was told a few weeks ago that a parish in town keeps a 24 four adoration. Bishop Collins takes the 3:00 am shift. That in itself says something; he does this quietly and with no fanfare.
We had some very left leaning teachings coming out of the college here a before he became Bishop of the diocese. I beleive that he is responsible for getting it on track. I have noticed a difference when attending mass in the diocese. It has become well….catholic.
Here's an article from Catholic Online with the usual bio details.
UPDATE:
Augustine's Poodle also has some info:
I don't know much about Collins, but what I've heard is good. A friend of mine spent some time at the seminary in Edmonton, and told me that Collins was both orthodox and courageous. My parents remember him from his days in the Hamilton diocese, and they too had fond memories. I can only hope and pray that he handles Toronto well; the diocese has been ravaged by media abuse, especially in the past ten years, after the sexual abuse scandals broke. Toronto is also home to two of Canada's most anti-Catholic and most-read newspapers, the Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star. Dissident groups regularly appear with any mention of the Catholic Church, and the homosexual activist movement has its base in the city as well. Orthodoxy and courage, indeed!
I read on Angelqueen.org (Traditionalist Message Board) that he's not keen on denying communion to politicians:
Edmonton Bishop Thomas Collins said confrontations with politicians “going astray” over moral teaching might “scare away anyone who might want to be a Catholic politician.”
Whether Catholics want to be politician or not is not your problem, your eminence. Besides there are plenty of faithful Catholics out there in the world who can run for office.
UPDATE #2
The Toronto Star had this to say about him:
The time could yet come when standing up for these beliefs may include denying communion to Catholic politicians who vote against those issues, he once told a reporter.
Such talk became especially heated in religious circles when then prime minister Paul Martin, a Catholic, led the political movement to legalize gay marriage last year.
He "once told a reporter"? Who?
Some reporting.
The best predictor of future results is past results. How many people has he denied communion to?
I'm skeptical. If he hasn't gained the attention of the pro-life community for denying communion to pro-aborts, what is to lead us to believe that he will do it in the future?
H/T dispel the illusion.
