We just learned about an upcoming motion to stop the LGBTQ “Pride” flag from being flown at Catholic schools across Niagara, but we need your help to make it happen.

Natalia Benoit, a trustee with the Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB), is scheduled to present a motion next week to ban that evil symbol from being raised outside of every school and office building.

ABOVE: Natalia Benoit, NCDSB trustee for St. Catharines/Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Trustees will vote on her motion, and, as you might expect, she’s facing a battle.

She’s already being attacked online by the CBC, who published a brutal hit piece.

The State Broadcaster reported on Benoit’s motion, trying to derail the proposal before it gets off the ground.

For help, they turned to the board’s woke Director of Education, Camillo Cipriano, who falsely claimed that Sacred Scripture somehow supports the LGBT movement.

Here’s how the CBC published Cipriano’s comments:

“The New Testament has many stories of Christ himself reaching out to those who are marginalized," he told CBC Hamilton on Wednesday, noting he has discussed the issue with several priests and the local diocese. "I will continue to fly it as long as it remains my decision."

I can’t believe such nonsense is coming from such a high-ranking official within a Catholic school board!

What I find most confusing, though, is that Mr. Cipriano seems to suggest that he had the support of the Diocese of St. Catharines in coming to his decision to support the “Pride” flag. That doesn’t make any sense.

Not only does that symbol of sexual sin fly in the face of centuries of Church teaching on human sexuality, it also contradicts a statement last year by Bishop Gerard Bergie, the Bishop of St. Catharines.

Here’s what his Excellency had to say in The Vineyard, the official newsletter of the Diocese Of St. Catharines, in the June edition from 2023:

“The sign and symbol for Pride month is a flag. It is being promoted by a growing number of individuals and corporations and is seen on public buildings, homes and even on roads in the form of crosswalks. Many argue that this flag is a true sign of love and acceptance and provides a safe space wherever it is displayed. This may all be true; however, it is not the whole story.

The pride flag or the progress flag also represents beliefs and ideologies that are contrary to the teachings of Christ. We cannot be blind to the fact that the lifestyle it celebrates embraces a political and moral perspective that contradicts Christ’s teaching regarding gender, human sexuality, marriage and family life.

How can we embrace this flag and remain faithful to what God teaches about love? Jesus tells us if we love him then we will keep his commandments. They cannot be ignored simply because we want to be more inclusive.”

To be charitable, maybe Mr. Cipriano and a number of the NCDSB trustees missed these comments? If that’s the case, here’s our chance to bring them up to speed!

TAKE ACTION

Natalia needs your support if we want to have any hope of making sure her motion to ban the LGBT “Pride” flag passes with a majority of votes.

We need our supporters across the region to phone and email the local trustees and encourage them to vote YES to Benoit’s motion at the next NCDSB meeting, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 22.

Here’s their contact information:

Danny Di Lorenzo
Chair of the Board
Fort Erie, Port Colborne & Wainfleet
[email protected]
or
[email protected]
289-241-1746

Rhianon Burkholder
Vice-Chair of the Board
Thorold/Merritton
[email protected]
905-328-5953

Joe Bruzzese
Niagara Falls
[email protected]
905-658-7327

Larry Huibers
St. Catharines/Niagara-on-the-Lake
[email protected]
289-969-5797

Doug Joyner
West Niagara
[email protected]
905-327-3004

Jim Marino
Niagara Falls
[email protected]
905-328-9248

Paul Turner
Welland/Pelham
[email protected]
905-734-8203 & 289-686-5260

In addition to contacting the trustees, you should also reach out to the Director of Education and remind him about Bishop Bergie’s comments.

You can contact Mr. Cipriano through his Executive Assistant at 905-735-0240 and the extension is 214.

It’s also important that we have plenty of supporters physically at the upcoming board meeting, to show Natalia she isn’t alone in this fight, and to let the other NCDSB trustees know where the community stands on this issue.

Here are the meeting details:

DATE: Tuesday, October 22

TIME: 6:30 PM

LOCATION: The Niagara Catholic District School Board offices, 427 Rice Road, Welland, ON, L3C 7C1. (Click here for a map.)

Even though the meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30 PM, it’s best if everyone arrives a half-hour earlier.

Delegate to the Board?

Parent and stakeholder delegations (presentations) are often effective in influencing how Trustees vote. Are you willing to speak in favour of Natalia's motion?

Although time is short, you can still email the Secretary of the Board, Ms. Karen Bellamy, at [email protected], and ask to be put on the list of delegates at the October 22 board meeting..

Natalia needs our support on this, especially because she’s been down this road before in defending traditional Christian values.

She was censured by the board and suspended earlier this year for comments she made in a social media video where she said Catholic schools shouldn’t fly any flag that contradicts Church teaching, and cited the Nazi flag as an example.

We know this motion has a chance because a similar one passed earlier this year at one of the largest school boards in Ontario.

Back in June, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board voted to NOT fly any “additional” flags (like the “Pride” flag) outside its office buildings and schools, but that was only possible through much prayer – and the lobbying of many concerned parents and grandparents.

That’s why I think we have a real chance of having a victory like this in Niagara.

Thank you for your support in this.