A former Calgary bishop who spoke out against LGBTQ policies and school HPV vaccinations has died.
Bishop Emeritus Fred Henry was 81.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary announced Henry’s death Tuesday afternoon, saying he “passed away peacefully” at noon at the Rockyview General Hospital, adding it will share funeral plans “in the coming days.”
Henry, who served as the seventh bishop for the Calgary diocese for 19 years, resigned from his post in early 2017 for medical reasons.
He was a polarizing figure who at times clashed with government over policy.
Henry refused to endorse Alberta’s plan in 2008 to offer HPV vaccinations to girls in Grade 5, saying vaccinating them against a sexually transmitted disease confuses the church’s message about chastity. The Calgary Catholic School Board, as a result, didn’t offer them at first but later reversed their stance.
In 2016, Henry called the then-Alberta NDP government’s new LGBTQ guidelines, which called for acceptance, “totalitarianism” and “pure secularism.”
Henry was replaced by current Bishop William McGrattan.