Preacher Delivers Vicious Anti-semitic, Anti-catholic Sermon

The Canadian Jewish Congress has complained to the Ontario Attorney General about a Pentecostal preacher in suburban Toronto who delivered what the Congress said was a “vicious, shameless and blatantly offensive” anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic sermon last year.

The preacher, Rev. Paul Melnichuk, 50, of the Faith Cathedral, delivered a sermon in which he denounced Jews as the “most unlovable people” but since “God wants us to bless them … I’ll bless Jacob, though he’s miserable. ” Melnichuk, who tapes his sermons and then sells copies in the church’s gift shop, also said:

“My God, look at the old crooked Jew, as soon as he sees you he’s wondering how much money he can make on you, and how he can gyp you. That’s Jacob all over again. It’s right in his nature … They crucified him (Jesus) — the Jews did — the Romans didn’t …”

At one point in his taped sermon, he said: “Now wouldn’t it be a good idea, if you work for a Jew, if you buy this tape and show it to your Jew boss ?” This is exactly what happened. A congregant, who was employed by a Jewish dentist, was so appalled by what she heard that she brought it to the attention of her employer. In his sermon, Melnichuk also referred to the Catholic Church as “the great whore” mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Neither Melnichuk nor his church are affiliated with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.

Canada has had an anti-hate law in its Criminal Code since 1970 forbidding the fomenting of hatred and contempt against racial and religious minorities. The Attorney General’s consent is required for prosecution under this law and therefore the Canadian Jewish Congress submitted the remarks of Melnichuk to the Attorney General’s office. A representative of the Catholic archdiocese of Toronto, present at a press conference where the Congress made known its action and played the tape, indicated that the church was “supportive” of the Congress’ position.

Morley Wolfe, chairman of the Congress-B’nai B’rith community relations council for Ontario, said the policy of his committee ordinarily was not to give exposure to such hate mongers. This time an exception was made for a number of reasons, he explained.

Wolfe said the material in the sermon was so blatant that it would be disgraceful if the preacher was allowed to “get away with it.”

Moreover, he said, Melnichuk was not an obscure agitator but someone with an assured audience every week of some hundreds of people who looked up to him as a spiritual leader and was a person who had the respectability of being a man of the cloth.

Wolfe said the CJCongress-B’nai B’rith had delayed making public Melnichuk’s sermon because it wanted to give him a chance to apologize or repudiate his remarks publicly in an appropriate manner. A letter had been sent last December 16 to his Board of Directors, but no reply was received.