Church Militant founder may face legal reckoning for defamation
One of the U.S. Catholic Church's most infamous agitators, known for aggressive smear campaigns against church leaders and organizations, may soon face a reckoning in court as a result of a rare lawsuit against his operations.
Gary Michael Voris, the founder of the fringe right-wing group Church Militant, is being sued by a New Hampshire priest for defamation. A U.S. District Court judge rejected Voris' attempt last month to have the lawsuit dismissed.
In February, Fr. Georges de Laire, judicial vicar and the vicar for canonical affairs for the Diocese of Manchester, brought suit against both Voris and his media enterprise following a series of videos and articles against de Laire dating back to January 2019.
According to the original complaint, Voris and Church Militant in "knowing and reckless disregard of the truth embarked on a campaign of defamation against Father de Laire, intended to besmirch Father de Laire's reputation and destroy his standing in the community of his congregation in New Hampshire, and in the Catholic Church at large, in the United States and in Rome."
You can read more of the story here.
More background:
- Read a 2018 profile of Church Militant and its founder, Gary Michael Voris.
Anthony Fauci and Christine Grady honored with award at CTU event
Dr. Anthony Fauci and nurse-bioethicist Christine Grady, who are married, were honored for their work against the coronavirus with Catholic Theological Union's "Blessed are the Peacemakers" award at an online event.
In his remarks, Fauci said that when faced with a "formidable adversary" such as the coronavirus, "we need to pull together as a nation and recognize the pathogen as our mutual foe."
"In all we do, we must be guided by the data and science-based evidence. But only by working side by side towards a common purpose and for the greater good will we prevail," he added.
You can read more of the story here.
Were some saints mentally ill, or holy, or both?
A commentary by Stephen Adubato discusses how talk about mental health is becoming more and more ubiquitous as the stigma toward mental illness is being challenged by doctors and educators, popular entertainers and social media personalities, in the name of transparency, authenticity and self-care.
"But where exactly does one draw the line between reasonableness and madness?" Adubato asks. "And further, where do these categories come from, and how have they shifted over time? My readings of mystical saints like Teresa and more contemporary writers like the French philosopher Michel Foucault have propelled me to delve more deeply into these questions."
You can read more of the commentary here.
More headlines
- ICYMI: Pope Francis issued tough new anti-corruption regulations
that require Vatican cardinals and managers to periodically declare
they are investing only in funds consistent with Catholic doctrine and
aren't under criminal investigation or stashing money in tax havens.
- At EarthBeat,
Marquette University students overwhelmingly endorsed a referendum for
the Jesuit school to divest its $693 million endowment from stocks in
the fossil fuel industry. The students now await a response from school
officials.
- In his latest column,
Fr. Peter Daly writes about how he decided to unplug from cable, social
media, and even his landline phone, for his own spiritual good.
- Read letters to the editor responding to recent columns on how to reform church liturgy.
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