OTTAWA—The Archbishop of Toronto is urging Justin Trudeau to reconsider his ban on anti-abortion candidates running for the Liberal party in the next election.

Trudeau’s announced new screening process means that the Liberal party is closed to people such as the Pope, Thomas Collins says.

“It is worth noting that if Pope Francis, as a young man, instead of seeking to serve in the priesthood in Argentina, had moved to Canada and sought to serve in the noble vocation of politics, he would have been ineligible to be a candidate for your party, if your policy were in effect,” Collins said in the letter, released on Wednesday.

But the Liberal leader is respectfully rebuffing the high-level request to change his mind. Collins, as well as being the archbishop, is also a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church.

“Like all other Canadians, Cardinal Collins has the freedom to express his deeply held beliefs,” Liberal spokeswoman Kate Purchase said in an email after the letter became public.

“We obviously respect the cardinal, and his views. This is a matter of rights, and Canadians need to know that when they vote Liberal they will get a representative who supports and defends women’s rights.”

Trudeau announced a week ago that potential candidates for the Liberal party were being screened to make sure that they would vote in favour of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms — and that this included votes in favour of a woman’s right to choose an abortion.

It is a step farther than any other Liberal leader has taken on this issue, on which MPs have been traditionally been free to vote their conscience.

Collins urges Trudeau to go back to this position, pointing out that he’s cutting out potential contributions from faithful people among the 2 million Catholics in the Toronto archdiocese.

“It is not right that they be excluded by any party for being faithful to their conscience,” Collins writes.

“Political leaders surely have the right to insist on party unity and discipline in political matters which are within the legitimate scope of their authority. But that political authority is not limitless: it does not extend to matters of conscience and religious faith. It does not govern all aspects of life.”

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