Disgraced Priest Thomas Rosica Accused of Sexual Assault

The specific allegations against Thomas Rosica, as reported by various news outlets, involve accusations of sexual assault by a younger priest, identified only by his initials in the lawsuit. 

The plaintiff alleges that over two decades ago, Rosica engaged in a pattern of abuse that included unwanted physical contact, such as long hugs and touching, which escalated to more severe incidents. Around the year 2000, it is claimed that Rosica exposed himself, groped and fondled the plaintiff's body, used sexually explicit language, and engaged in other sexual activities without consent.

These allegations have led to a lawsuit filed in Ontario, Canada, where the plaintiff asserts that Rosica took advantage of his position of authority and trust. The lawsuit also claims that Rosica's religious community, the Congregation of St. Basil, failed to take steps to stop the behavior or protect the plaintiff. In response to the allegations, Rosica has denied any improper conduct and has argued that the civil courts do not have jurisdiction over the complaint, suggesting that it should be governed by canon law instead.

The case has raised significant concerns about how allegations of misconduct are handled within religious institutions and the processes available for reporting and addressing such claims. It highlights the challenges faced by those who come forward with allegations and the importance of having a system that supports and protects them while also ensuring due process for the accused.

The recent allegations against Thomas Rosica are a serious and sensitive matter. It is important to approach such topics with care and respect for all parties involved. The accusations of sexual assault against the Canadian priest have led to a lawsuit, which is a significant development that has captured the attention of both the public and the media. 

The case brings to light the broader issues of accountability and justice within institutions, and the challenges faced by individuals who come forward with allegations of misconduct. It also raises questions about the mechanisms in place for reporting and addressing such claims, and the role of civil and ecclesiastical courts in these matters.

As the legal proceedings continue, it is crucial to remember the principles of due process and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. At the same time, there must be a robust and transparent system that supports and protects those who allege harm.

This situation underscores the need for ongoing dialogue and reform within organizations to ensure that they are safe, supportive, and just for all members. It is a reminder of the importance of listening to and addressing concerns of misconduct with the seriousness they deserve, while also providing fair and due process for those accused.

Rosica is no stranger to controversy. He was accused of plagiarism and was forced to resign from a media position at the Vatican.  According to CNA, "Rosica was CEO of the Salt and Light Media Foundation for 16 years and a prominent writer, speaker, and media figure before resigning from a number of senior positions in 2019 following reports that many of his written works contained significant plagiarism."  Rosica grew in popularity after the World Youth Day in Toronto in the year 2002 which was the last one led by St. Pope John Paul II.  

Time will tell as to what really occurred between Rosica and the accuser.  We pray for both parties and anyone else that Rosica may have harmed sexually, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. He blocked many Twitter accounts during his time at the Vatican which presented him as hypocritical and against Christian charity. He also blocked our Sacerdotus account for no reason.  Apparently, he had or was shared a blacklist of Catholic accounts.   We will update this as more details come. 

 Source:

Father Thomas Rosica sued for sexual assault in Canada | Catholic News Agency

UPDATE: Rosica faces sexual assault lawsuit (catholicregister.org)

Media priest Thomas Rosica charged with sex abuse - The Catholic Thing

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's readings remind us to be just and be a witness in the world. The first reading tells us that we must care for others and remove from our presence oppression, false accusation and malicious speech. This is nothing new. We know that God expects us to love one another and to care for one another. This is what it means to be a Christian and a Jew!  We must care for the sick, homeless, widows, and yes, those in prison and foreigners and immigrants. Today, the latter have become topics of contention. Some believe prisoners are pariahs and need to be killed off in death penalties, others believe nations should keep their "own kind." While there are many pros and cons to these quarrels, we must not get caught up in the politics of this world. Our focus is our nation in Heaven. America, both south and north will pass away. Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East as well. Heaven will not pass away. Entry in heaven is based on the passport of sanctity which stems from the love we gave to God and one another.

This is what makes us light in the darkness. This is not about human wisdom, but solely from the power of God, as the second reading tells us. Christ tells us that we must be the salt of the earth and light of the world. We must give flavor to the earth. Salt is used to give flavor. Just a tiny cube of it is enough to get a sensation on the tongue. This is how powerful this compound of NaCl is. Moreover, salt on its own does not possess conductivity. It is when it is mixed with water that it can generate electrical conductivity. Think of this for a moment. What does water have to do with us?  Well, our baptism!  We were baptized with water. This water along with the salt we are supposed to be will generate the electricity to be the light of the world!  This is the physics student in me reflecting now on today's Gospel. I think this reflection will help you reading this as well.  Let us be the salt of the earth and the light of Christ to others. This can only be done if we follow God's ways, the teachings of the Church, receive the Sacraments, live a prayerful and humble life and love others.  





Readings:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020920.cfm

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Have Taste & Be Bright!

Today's readings are about giving witness to Christ.  

The first reading reminds us that we have to help others. Giving witness to Christ is not only knowing the teachings of Christ and His Church, but putting them into action via the Works of Mercy and the Beatitudes that we read about last Sunday (James 2:17). Helping others is extremely important. We cannot love our neighbor as we love ourselves if we do not help them. We must share what we have with others (Luke 6:30). This does not mean Communism, but sharing when someone is in dire need. sometimes God even tests us by presenting us a moment to give to others even when we have little to give (Hebrews 13:2). We must assess the situation and listen to God's voice in us in order to know what to do (1 John 4:1).  When we help others, God loves this and listens to our prayers. God will answer, as the reading says!

Recently, we had the March For Life. Critics of the pro-life movement accuse us of only caring about the unborn and then forgetting everyone else. This is not true. We must care for all human life, born and unborn, young and old, sick and healthy etc. Moreover, current events remind us about caring for refugees. The Lord tells us to welcome strangers (Leviticus 19:34). However, we must do so prudently for our own safety and the safety of others. As the saying goes, "better safe than sorry." Nevertheless, we must always help refugees who honestly need help.  The first reading should remind us of this. Helping others is the just thing to do and shines a light in the darkness as the responsorial Psalm tells us. Light always shines through the darkness. In physics, we learn that darkness does not exist.  It is just the absence of photons or light. Metaphorically, the "light" is in us when we are upright or walk in the path of the Lord. It shines before all others.  This light shines in us when we do good, lend to others, do things with justice and fairness. We must strive to be just and do good in the world.

Whenever we can, we should help others by giving to the poor and those in need. In all of this, we must be about the truth and not sublimity of words, as we read in the second reading. Knowledge is good to have, but we should live our lives as if we know nothing but Jesus Christ. In the end, Jesus is all that matters, not how much knowledge we have on anything or anyone else. Einstein, Sagan, Darwin, Lemaitre, etc were all awesome and brilliant scientists. Once they died, where did their knowledge go?  It died with them. Similarly, we will eventually die. Our knowledge, plans, memories will be gone.  We will face our maker (Hebrews 9:27). Our knowledge, degrees etc will not matter to Him, only what we did and how much faith we had. Our faith is important and must not be hidden. We must not become lukewarm (Revelation 3:15-17).  We must evangelize others, even in fear, weakness and trembling and proclaim the Good News with a demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power! Recently, a well known bishop made some comments on a program. This bishop is Robert Barron. He was questioned on whether or not he would press to reverse same-sex marriage in America. The bishop said he would not press to reverse it. This remark shocked many, including myself. I wrote about it here and explained why the bishop was wrong see: http://www.sacerdotus.com/2017/02/bishop-barron-pro-gay-marriage.html. His heart was in the right place, but his words and reasoning were a bit off, with all respect of course.

We must never back down from fighting immorality and evil in the world. As the second reading tells us, we must proclaim like St. Paul did, the Gospel "with a demonstration of Spirit and power."  We must evangelize in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).  A few people on Facebook felt that the bishop was right and accused me of "policing." However, they fail to understand that we must fight the good fight, not sit back and let the world go to ruin (1 Timothy 6:12).  If the majority of Americans are for same-sex marriage (supposedly), then we must fight even harder. In the first and second centuries, Rome was against the Church. Did the early Christians sit back and wait until the right time to come out and evangelize? No way! They fought and died for the faith eventually leading to the conversion of Constantine which set the path for the glorious Catholic Church of Christ to take her seat in Rome and build Western civilization.

The Gospel reminds us of how important our witness is. Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  We must not become bland, for what good is salt if it has no taste?  We must not put our light under a bushel basket. What good is light that is covered?  We must be salt and light. We must give flavor and taste to the world. In this world that is in darkness, we must light the way in the name of Jesus! We light the world with our evangelization and good works which glorify the Father. Salt is an important substance. It is used to sanitize woulds and help in healing the body. Hospitals use saline water to stabilize patients. Without salt, the body cannot have a proper balance of electrolytes. Salt is in our tears and helps purify our eyes. In Scripture, salt was used to purify newborns and the Catholic Church used to use it in the rite of Baptism (Ezekiel 16:4, Baptism & Salt). Salt was also used to delay the decay of meat. We as salt of the earth must delay the decay of morals and spirituality in the world (Colossians 4:5-6).

Light is important to us all. Without it, we would not be able to see anything. Light was the first substance in the universe. When the "Big Bang" happened, photons were the first particles. Our light must shine before others. It must not be kept hidden. We must not hide our faith. Rather, we must show it to others and preach Jesus in season and out of season. We as Catholics hold the fullness of Truth. This Truth is a person named Jesus Christ whose body is the Catholic Church.  If you have ever been in a power outage and turned on a candle or flashlight, you probably noticed how just a bit of light can light up a really dark place. This is because light is powerful. You do not have to be in a cassock, roman collar or habit to show your light. Just living your Catholic faith, using sacramentals or sharing your faith via conversation is enough.  God will do the rest.  Trust me on this!  Sorry to bring in physics, but salt even conducts electricity. When in water, ions form which allow for electrons or electricity to move. This is why is it not good to stand on the beach during a thunderstorm. If lightning strikes the sand which is moist from the sea or rain, the charge will travel and will electrocute anyone standing on the sand. I mention this because we are the salt of the earth and baptized in water. This mix in us brings the"charge" which is the Holy Spirit who spreads among those we encounter. Let us go out there and give flavor to this world and light the way to Christ Jesus.  We are the salt of the earth, let us give the world hypertension in Christ!  May Jesus Christ be praised, now and forever!  


Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020517.cfm


As we read in the readings today, giving is important and is part of good works. Please donate to help me continue and expand this ministry. Your help will be noticed by our Heavenly Father. Donate via my Paypal on this page or www.gofundme.com/sacerdotus.  



Here are some reflections from holy writers:

The salt of the earth, I suppose, seems at first like nothing special. So what did Jesus mean when he called the apostles the "salt of the earth"? We must look for the words' appropriate meaning. Both the apostles' task and the nature of salt itself will reveal this. The element of water and the element of fire are combined and united in salt. So ordinary salt, made for the use of the human race, imparts resistance to corruption to the meats on which it is sprinkled. And, of course, it is very apt to add the sensation of hidden flavor.
Likewise the apostles are the preachers of surprising heavenly things and eternity. Like sowers, they sow immortality on all bodies on which their discourse has been sprinkled. They are perfected by the baptism of water and fire. So those who are to be salted with the power of gospel teaching have rightly been called the "salt of the earth." They are right now being preserved to the end.
— St. Hilary
(315 - 367)


Source: "On Matthew 4.10," quoted in Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 1–13, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 92.

The Lord has already called his disciples the "salt of the earth" because they seasoned with divine wisdom the hearts of the human race which had been made tasteless by the devil.
Now he also calls them the "light of the world." For, illumined by his very own self who is the true and eternal light, they too become light within the darkness. For since he himself is the sun of righteousness, he rightly also calls his disciples "light of the world." Through them, as if through shining rays, he poured the light of his knowledge on the entire world. For by showing the light of truth, the Lord's disciples made the darkness of error flee from people's hearts.
— St. Chromatius
(360 - 407)


Source: "Tractate on Mathew, 19.1.1-2," quoted in Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 1–13, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 93.

So, what does the Savior mean by the "bucket" under which some people put the lamp? Here by "bucket" he means vice, and by "lamp," virtue. People who intend to perform some illicit act walk in darkness, avoiding, if possible, the light.

— St. Theodore of Mopsuestia
(350 - 428)


Source: "Fragment 26," quoted in Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 1–13, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 94.

Fr. Rosica Sues Blogger Vox Cantoris

According to Michael Voris' Church Militant TV and other bloggers, Father Thomas Rosica who is a spokesman for Pope Francis and the Vatican and also president of Salt & Light TV in Canada filed a lawsuit against a Catholic blogger David Anthony Domet who blogs at Voxcantor.blogspot.ca.

According to the lawsuit, Domet posted "...various entries... that are false, defamatory, or both."  Fr. Rosica is even seeking damages for "damages to his reputation, work, and service to the church" as well as damages for Domet's encouragement of Catholics to unsubscribed from Salt & Light Television.

I first became aware of this story from Catholic Pro-life blogger Suzanne who blogs at bigbluewave.ca.  The whole story is just mind boggling on many levels.  Why would a priest sue another Catholic?  I understand that priests are protected under civil law as well, but as priests they must be more charitable and do things the "Christian" way, not man's.  Granted if a serious crime was committed, a priest should have equal protection under the law even against another priest or Catholic; however, if this is really all about something as silly as a blog post, then I do not see the reason to take it so seriously.

Nevertheless, I reserve judgment on the issue until I learn all the facts. From what I have read from the lawsuit papers, Rosica really does not have a strong case. Domet from Voxcantor was just giving his take on certain events in the Church that happened to entail Fr. Rosica. How can someone get sued for giving an opinion?

Moreover, if Fr. Rosica is doing this to save his reputation and save Salt & Light TV from bleeding subscribers, then I am afraid it will backfire. His actions have already disgusted several Catholics in the Catholic blogosphere. I can imagine how many in Canada have or are about to take Salt & Light out of their lineup.  These kinds of lawsuits often backfire in that manner.

Here are the lawsuit papers: http://www.churchmilitant.tv/documents/spec-2015-02-19.pdf

Here is what VoxCantor wrote that offended Rosica: http://voxcantor.blogspot.ca/search/label/Rosicanisms




Source:
http://www.catholicanada.com/2015/02/19/blog-round-up-of-reactionnews-re-fr-rosica-lawsuit-against-vox-cantoris/

http://www.bigbluewave.ca/2015/02/blog-round-up-of-reactionnews-to-fr.html

http://www.lepantoinstitute.org/uncategorized/fr-rosicas-ironic-lawsuit/

http://throwthebumsoutin2010.blogspot.com/2015/02/blogosphere-coverage-of-fr-rosicas.html

http://throwthebumsoutin2010.blogspot.com/2015/02/pope-francis-spokesperson-fr-rosica.html

http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2015/02/vatican-spokesman-suing-faithful.html

http://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/2015/02/vatican-suing-bloggers.html






UPDATE 3/5/15

Fr. Rosica has agreed to drop the lawsuit against David Domet who blogs at Vox Cantoris.  He wrote in a statement that "it was never my intention to sue, but rather to issue a letter to “cease and desist” the frivolous calumny."  He also claims that he is "not a high-ranking Vatican official nor a member of the hierarchy of the Church.."

Rosica wrote:

"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" - http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/fr-thomas-rosica/a-message-from-fr-thomas-rosica-csb

I had stated that his "lawsuit/cease and desist" would not be successful because free speech is a right and would backfire on him because he is a priest and it just does not look right for a priest to sue a Catholic lay person.  There are better ways of handling situations like these especially within the Catholic Church.  Moreover, Catholic bloggers have a right to their own opinions and also a duty to voice their concerns to their pastors:

Canon Law 212
§3. According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons.

 

It is absurd for a Catholic priest or leader to sue or threaten to sue a Catholic writer for doing just that.  To my knowledge, no death threats were made.  No serious threats were made to warrant legal action.  While I understand Rosica's concern for his reputation, I think he hurt it more with this theater.

Moreover, he blocked me on Twitter.  What the heck did I do to him?

I really do not understand what is this man's problem.  Not once did I attack him or side with anyone. I simply found it disturbing to learn of a priest suing another Catholic.  He apparently has some spiritual and psychological issues to work on based on my observation and opinion.  Perhaps he should reconsider his vocation.  Let us pray for him and all those involved.  

Source:

http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/fr-thomas-rosica/a-message-from-fr-thomas-rosica-csb

http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/03/04/priest-who-does-vatican-pr-says-he-wont-sue-conservative-blogger/

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2015/03/fr-rosica-it-was-never-my-intention-to-sue/

http://www.churchmilitant.tv/platform/index.php?vidID=news-2015-03-05

http://www.pewsitter.com/view_news_id_197741.php