Archbishop assessing Telus situation

Archbishop Raymond Roussin continued consultations with parishes, schools, and clergy last week in response to Telus Mobility’s decision to make pornography available for cell phone downloads.

The archbishop was meeting with pastors, principals, and his own consulters as he considered whether Catholic institutions should sever their relationships with the wireless provider.

The archbishop’s decision to speak out on the subject was front page news across Canada, and gathered interest from news organizations across North America.

Most major papers across Canada, as well as TV and radio networks, carried substantial coverage of the story, although there was little to update the original story, and the Archdiocese of Vancouver responded to dozens of media calls from reporters throughout Canada and the United States, many wanting to know whether the archbishop would call for a boycott of Telus.

The archdiocese received calls and letters of support from Catholics and non-Catholics across Canada, many from Ontario, registering support for the archbishop’s remarks, first reported in last week’s B.C. Catholic. Many said they were considering ending their relationship with Telus and Telus Mobility.

Telus’s action prompted one B.C. businessman, a Christian, to sue the company after it refused to release him from a three-year cell phone contract. He wanted to cancel because he objected to being linked to a porn distributor.

Industry observers watching the Telus situation suggested Telus was knowingly balancing the loss of its family image, and many subscribers, against the net financial benefits of making porn more widely available.

The B.C. Catholic is carrying a special 12-page supplement on pornography and sex addiction in this week’s issue.