Editing Michael Coren (section)

==Religious views==
Coren's articles and speeches often include stories of his own personal spiritual journey. Coren's father was [[Jewish]] as was his maternal grandfather, while his maternal grandmother came from a family of Welsh coal miners and [[Conversion to Judaism|converted to Judaism]]. Coren's father and uncle were cab drivers. Coren has said that his father's family left Poland in the 1890s, a few decades before [[The Holocaust]].<ref>Concerned Women For America-Targeted for Hate: A Canadian Columnist Pays Price For Disagreeing with Homosexual Agenda {{cite web |url=http://www.cwfa.org/printerfriendly.asp?id=4322&department=cfi&categoryid=cfreport |title=Concerned Women for America - Targeted for Hate: A Canadian Columnist Pays Price for Disagreeing with Homosexual Agenda |access-date=2008-01-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081027170030/http://www.cwfa.org/printerfriendly.asp?id=4322&department=cfi&categoryid=cfreport |archive-date=27 October 2008 }}</ref><ref>Michael Coren-Irving deserves contempt not jail  </ref> He said "People have called me an [[anti-Semite]]. I thought it quite rich since my father's family was massacred in the Holocaust".<ref name="Ovsenny" /> Michael Coren was profiled on ''Credo'' on [[Vision TV]], and said that his father told him he could not attend his son's wedding in a Catholic church without becoming "physically sick".

He [[Conversion to Christianity|converted to Catholic Christianity]] in 1984<ref name="benevolence">{{cite web |title=From bigotry to benevolence: The conversion of Michael Coren |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-edition-for-february-3-2019-1.4997146/from-bigotry-to-benevolence-the-conversion-of-michael-coren-1.4998467 |website=CBC Radio |access-date=14 May 2022 |date=February 2, 2019}}</ref> while still living in England, later saying that he "converted to an institution."

He left [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] for [[Evangelicalism]] in the 1990s, after a [[religious conversion|conversion experience]], greatly influenced by Canadian [[televangelist]] [[Terry Winter (televangelist)|Terry Winter]].{{citation needed|date=April 2018}} In 1991, Coren said in a column for a humour magazine: "Evangelicals may be intolerant, small-minded, and repellent, but at least they hold a consistent set of beliefs".<ref name="Ovsenny" /> In a 1993 book review, he said "Can anyone imagine a detective priest? Regrettably, it is easier to conjure up the image of a priest being questioned by secular detectives over abuse charges." Also in 1993, he had a falling out with the Catholic Church over an unflattering profile he wrote of Archbishop [[Aloysius Ambrozic]] for ''[[Toronto Life]]'' magazine.<ref name="Ovsenny" /> The bishop, who had made Coren a [[Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic)|Knight of the Holy Sepulchre]] in October 1992, was quoted using words including "friggin" and "bitch", and said that the Spanish dictator [[Francisco Franco]] was a "conservative Catholic and not a bad fellow". Coren defended himself, saying "He's an archbishop and he was vulgar&nbsp;... obviously what thousands of Catholics expected me to do was lie. I still get hate mail about the article."<ref name="Ovsenny" />

After this incident, Coren said that he didn't consider himself a Catholic anymore. He said, "My wife is Catholic and the children will be raised Catholic, but that's it. It's just not there for me."<ref name="Ovsenny" /> [[Daniel Richler]] observed that Coren loves scandal, but hates having it come his way. In one of his columns for the satirical humour magazine ''[[Frank (magazine)|Frank]]'', Michael Coren depicted [[Mother Teresa]] getting drunk in a bar.<ref name="Ovsenny" />

In early 2004, he embraced Catholicism again. He cites [[Thomas More]], [[C. S. Lewis]], [[Ronald Knox]] and his godfather [[Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford|Lord Longford]] as spiritual influences, and remains connected to the [[ecumenism|ecumenical]] scene in Canada and beyond.

In 2014, Michael Coren once again left the Catholic Church and began worshipping with the [[Anglican Church of Canada]], being formally received into the communion the next year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/torontoanglican/photos/a.888594754515024.1073741863.115072368533937/895263353848164/?type=1&pnref=story  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/115072368533937/895263353848164 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|date=23 April 2015 |title=Facebook post |publisher=Anglican Diocese of Toronto |access-date=19 August 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In an interview with the ''[[National Post]]'' on 1 May 2015, he cited the Catholic Church's [[Catholic Church and homosexuality|teachings on homosexuality]] and [[contraception]] as some of the reasons for his conversion to [[Anglicanism]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://news.nationalpost.com/news/religion/i-felt-a-hypocrite-author-michael-coren-on-why-he-left-the-catholic-church-for-anglicanism | title = 'I felt a hypocrite': Author Michael Coren on why he left the Catholic Church for Anglicanism | first = Joseph | last = Brean | date = 2015-05-01 | work = National Post }}</ref>

In contrast to his previous views, Coren now identifies as a [[Christian socialism|Christian socialist]].<ref name="Christian socialist tweet">{{cite tweet |last= Coren |first= Michael |user=michaelcoren |number=842106771552514048 |date= 15 March 2017 |title=Thanks. But I'm afraid I'm not a conservative. Christian socialist really. Sorry. |script-title= |trans-title= |link= |access-date=4 September 2017}}</ref> Coren supports infant [[circumcision]], which he calls a "tradition [Jews and Muslims] consider holy and essential, based not in abuse and cruelty, but in concern and love for their child", and has said that its opponents are "irreligious zealots".<ref>[http://www.macleans.ca/opinion/icelands-proposed-circumcision-ban-sparks-a-bigger-fight-over-rights/ Michael Coren: Iceland’s proposed circumcision ban sparks a bigger fight over rights] – ''[[Maclean's]]''.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thebridgehead.ca/2015/06/01/the-curious-case-of-michael-coren/|title=The curious case of Michael Coren &#124; The Bridgehead|date=1 June 2015}}</ref>

Coren is a priest of the Anglican [[Diocese of Niagara]].<ref name=burlington/> He was ordained deacon in October 2019, and ordained priest in September 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://michaelcoren.com/bio/ |title = Biography - Education |publisher = Michael Coren |access-date = 27 September 2021 }}</ref> He serves as assistant curate of the parish of St Christopher, Burlington.<ref name=burlington>{{cite web |url = https://niagaraanglican.ca/parish/st-christopher-burlington/ministry-team |title = Our Ministry Team |publisher = Diocese of Niagara |access-date = 27 September 2021 }}</ref>