Well, well, well, Father Thomas Rosica has decided not to sue blogger Vox Cantoris after all. Go here to read all about the original suit threat. Here is Rosica’s graceless announcement that he is not going to sue:
Jeremiah 18:18-20
The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said,“Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah.It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests,nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue;let us carefully note his every word.”Heed me, O LORD, and listen to what my adversaries say.Must good be repaid with evil
that they should dig a pit to take my life? Remember that I stood before you to speak in their behalf, to turn away your wrath from them.
As the CEO of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network, I am not a high-ranking Vatican official nor a member of the hierarchy of the Church as erroneously claimed in several recent blogs. In addition to my work at Salt and Light, I have had the privilege of serving since 2013 in a volunteer capacity as English language assistant to the Holy See Press Office. I relate on a daily basis to hundreds of English language journalists around the world. I know that this daily service has been encouraged and appreciated by the Vatican and by hundreds of journalists all over the world.
I fully support the teaching of the Church and welcome Pope Francis’ invitation to the whole Church to reflect seriously on the foundations of our faith. The recent Extraordinary Synod of Bishops has invited us to mature, honest dialogue and conversation and to find new ways and a new language to communicate the ancient story of the Church and our beautiful, unchanging doctrine to future generations.
Mature expressions of differences are welcome. It is one thing to have differing opinions on church matters. However, there is fine line between difference of opinion and blatant destruction of person’s lives and reputations. Having been strongly advised to respond, as an individual and in no institutional capacity to the Vatican or to my place of work, to the continuous false, slanderous statements of a blogger over a long period of time that resulted in gross distortion, misinformation, many phone calls, letters and clear threats from callers based on the repeated false information contained in the blog, it was never my intention to sue, but rather to issue a letter to “cease and desist” the frivolous calumny. A legal firm, offering its service pro bono to us, issued a letter to cease and desist. No lawsuit was ever launched against the blogger! The matter is now closed.
Popes Benedict XVI and Francis have taught clearly that the Internet and blogs can be of tremendous service to the up-building of the Church and of humanity. They have never taught that blogs and social media should be used, in the name of fidelity, to engender slander, hatred, reviling and destroying.
In a world torn apart by hatred, terror and violence, often through the gross distortion of religion, we must be much more attentive to our use of social media and how it is used to unite rather than destroy humanity. Many in the Catholic blogosphere have contributed enormously to the spread of the faith, the defense of all that is good and beautiful about our faith and our Church, and the opening of dialogue among strangers. They are to be congratulated and encouraged. Others have chosen to turn the blogosphere into a black hole of vitriol, anger and profound sadness. As Catholics, the great privilege and freedom of expression and access to social media also have certain obligations of decency, integrity, honesty and charity that reveal who we really are as a faith community.
Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB
CEO, Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
CEO, Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
Some comments about this statement:
1. Note how Rosica is at pains to indicate that he is not a Vatican official. Why he is just an unpaid volunteer, sort of like your local priest suddenly being asked to run an operation out of the Vatican! Uh huh, sure. My guess is that Rosica was instructed to put as much distance between himself and the Vatican as possible over this hornet’s nest he stirred up.
2. However, there is fine line between difference of opinion and blatant destruction of person’s lives and reputations.
He then proceeds to give no evidence that anything posted about him by Vox Cantoris fit into that category.
3. Having been strongly advised
By whom? An attorney? A superior at the Vatican?
4. A legal firm, offering its service pro bono to us,
Yep, I can tell you after a third of a century practicing law that high powered law firms are just begging to represent people for free in defamation law suits. If such a firm has not offered such pro bono services to you, you might want to call up such a firm and inquire about the legal services they are eager to provide gratis!
5. They have never taught that blogs and social media should be used, in the name of fidelity, to engender slander, hatred, reviling and destroying.
Once again, such statements would be so much more effective if any proof were proffered that Vox Cantoris had engaged in such conduct.
6. Others have chosen to turn the blogosphere into a black hole of vitriol, anger and profound sadness.
Once again, no examples. I rather suspect that Rosica views any criticism directed his way to fit into that category.
Vox Cantoris’ statement in response to the news that he will not face bankruptcy as a result of threatened litigation:
Lessons to be learned from all this below:
1. Vox Cantoris did a very wise thing in making known the threat on his blog.
2. Bloggers supporting him did a very wise thing in making a massive stink about all this.
3. Bullies will often back down if met with firmness instead of weakness.
4. That quite a few Catholic bloggers, the word Patheos just popped into my head, are very willing to ignore a newsworthy event if someone has Vatican connections.
5. That while individual blogs may be only a minor irritant, en masse they have a powerful influence that should not be underestimated.
6. That threatening a blogger with a lawsuit is a good way to put the person threatening litigation under the microscopes of other blogs.
7. Someone invoking Jeremiah as Father Rosica does in regard to blogging might wish to recall that the powers that be of his day sought to shut Jeremiah up by casting him down a well and destroying his book. The Bible attests how successful this attempt to silence a critic was.
I wonder if this triumph of justice would have occurred once the USSCCB’s communication’s spokesperson and Obama take away truth and criticism by controlling the internet via “net neutrality?
One positive thing coming from this retreat, is that we are certainly seeing the wolves and Spirit of Vatican II clergy come out in the open. We can confirm many of our speculations on many bishops and priests now and give more attention by shining a spotlight on their devious activities.
The Jeremiah reference applied to Vox Cantoris, NOT Fr. Rosica. The hubris of these liberals never ceases to amaze me – “Look at me, how I am being persecuted by those mean and divisive and intolerant conservative bloggers. Look how holy I am am.”
Oh, the poor victim! That mean blogger and his mean blogger friends. Didn’t expect the firestorm after he took his shot and then got himself smeared by the excrement he’s been throwing out there as Catholicism, and then had his buddies smeared too. Well, the Vatican threw him off the cliff when they saw Vox Cantoris was not alone and the Truth shone too brightly on them as well.
[…] National Catholic Journals Unite: ‘Capital Punishment Must End’ – Editorial Staff, NCReg Father Thomas Rosica Retreats, Truth Wins – Donald R. McClarey JD, TheAmCatholic Call No Man Father: At Facebook, Priests – No; […]
[…] Stand Same-Sex Parenting: Unpacking the Social Science – John B. Londregan, Pblc Dscrs Father Thomas Rosica Retreats, Truth Wins – Donald R. McClarey JD, TheAmCatholic In Obama Era, Catholics Have One Winning Hand at […]
However, there is fine line between difference of opinion and blatant destruction of person’s lives and reputations.
He then proceeds to give no evidence that anything posted about him by Vox Cantoris fit into that category.
To be fair, his solicitors did, in a nine paragraph inducement and a three paragraph innuendo
http://www.churchmilitant.tv/documents/spec-2015-02-19.pdf
Whether it would survive a debate on the relevancy is another matter, but there is no reason why Roscia should not allude to it, brevitatis causa.
Vox Cantoris had nothing to do with my reevaluation of Fr. Rosica. Statements and public activities of his in the past led me to question his ethics, values and orthodoxy. His repugnant behavior toward Mr. Domet will live forever in my memory as the lowest form of clerical imperialism I have witnessed, and I’ve seen a fair amount of it, always from the heterodox. Why the lowest? Because it was shameless, vindictive and retaliatory. Fr. Rosica is himself responsible for this writer never to give credence to anything that comes from him or Salt and Light.
This just proves that a Catholic must be careful in conscience before attending to any specific priest. This is just another aspect of our God given freedom of choice.
Translation: we expected the little blogger to fold quickly, and never to have our bluff called. Once he called our bluff, we were told by higher ups to drop this matter asap. BUT IT’S STILL HIS FAULT!
One would hope that this Vatican back-off of descent suppression would be permanent but one, I think, would be wrong. Mr Domet is to be congratulated for his courage and his prayerful confrontation of the assault to his duty to truth as a Catholic, an American and blogger. As one who offered to help support his defense I was most pleased that so many others were willing to crowd fund him. This should give confidence to other bloggers to fight the good fight regardless of Vatican intimidation.
Kevin
The issue of a “gagging writ” is a very old device. Dubious individuals raise an action for Injurious Falsehood (which they never intened to pursue), hoping to stifle discussion in the Press, on the grounds that the matter was “sub judice” and thatany comment was a contempt of court as tending to prejudice a fair hearing.
Certainly in Scotland, the courts have said – and said emphatically – that a Summons is not to be used as a muzzle and that fair comment is not contempt. They also require pursuers to “put up or shut up” by leading a proof timeously. Despite this, newpaper editors tend to play safe. The Web, one trusts, will not yield to the same self-imposed constraints.
And One Wonders WHY “Salt & Light Television” is so IGNORED in Canada.
Fr. Rosica is not even Canadian in origin, for as it turns out, he was born & raised in Rochester, NY, USA, across Lake Ontario from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is as Canadian as Bob & Doug Mac Kenzie are from my native Brooklyn, NY, USA.
One would hope that the reason for Canadian Catholics to ignore S+L, if that is the case, is not the national origin of Fr. Rosica. Good people, bootlickers and scoundrels can be found from any nation.
The separation of church and state would require that secular courts resign their judicial authority to the church for church matters.