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 ... Church Militant, is ... 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."
One of the priest's attorneys, Suzanne Elovecky, told NCR the decision to bring suit was not an easy one, but one ultimately made "for the sake of accountability and truth telling, which Fr. de Laire viewed as important for him and the community at large."...
The group was formed after its founder, former Jesuit priest Leonard Feeney, was excommunicated by the Vatican in 1953 for his belief that only those baptized in the Catholic Church could receive salvation. The group as it operates today has since been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for preaching "anti-Semitic hatred."
Lionel: The group, the St.Benedict Center, is affirming Vatican Council II and the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus rationally while Fr. Georges de Laire uses a Fake Premise to change the interpretation of these Church documents to create a false break with Tradition. This is unethical and dishonest. His professional ability could be questioned. How can a Judicial Vicar claim that there are physically visible cases of the baptism of desire etc in New Hampshire in the present times and so he does not affirm the strict interpretation of the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus like Fr. Leonard Feeney and the St. Benedict Center in the diocese of Manchester, USA ?
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The diocese had forbidden the community of the St. Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire, to present themselves as an official Catholic institution, while at the same time allowing a priest to provide ministry to the group. According to the Diocese of Manchester's website, the group "manipulated" this "to imply support or recognition by the Church."
Lionel: Bishop Peter Libasci and Fr. Georges de Laire are not interpreting Vatican Council II and the EENS with the Rational Premise.If they used the Rational Premise they would have to affirm the same interpretation of EENS as Fr.Leonard Feeney and the St. Benedict Center.
Now the Manchester diocese Curia is dishonest.
They are using a harsh Decree of Prohibitions, to coerce the Catholics in New Hampshire( not only those at the St. Benedict Center) to cheat and use the common False Premise.
The Catholics who suffer in the diocese could ask for relief and compensation.
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Church Militant has also been banned from presenting itself as a Catholic entity. Under its previous iteration, the organization, which operates in the Detroit suburbs, used to be known as Real Catholic TV. In December 2011, the Detroit Archdiocese said "it does not regard them as being authorized to use the word 'Catholic' to identify or promote their public activities."
Holly Fournier, a spokeswoman for the Detroit Archdiocese, told NCR that the 2011 ban remains in effect.
"Church Militant is not affiliated with, endorsed, or recommended by the Archdiocese of Detroit; it is not recognized as a Church apostolate," she wrote in a statement.
It fell to de Laire as judicial vicar to reinforce a Vatican decree that the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary could not present themselves as Catholic. According to the lawsuit, this resulted in "several articles [at Church Militant] not only criticizing the Diocese's decision to issue the Decree, but defaming Father de Laire, personally."
Lionel: The issue is credibility. How can someone pose as a Judicial Vicar and then even after being informed, use a False Premise to interpret even the Creeds and Catechisms. This is not Catholic. Such a person, who does not apologise and correct his ways is not professionally competent to handle marriage and other cases in the Church. His professional credibility would be poor.
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Voris, who, according to the lawsuit, was an ally of the organization, charged that de Laire was "emotionally unstable" and seeking promotion as a Catholic bishop or a Vatican appointment, allegations the lawsuit rejects. In December 2019, de Laire wrote to Voris threatening legal action, and in a January 2020 letter, Church Militant stood by their original claims against the priest.
Voris sought to have the lawsuit dismissed over jurisdiction issues because Church Militant did not have "sufficient contacts with New Hampshire." A judge rejected that defense, noting the priest "felt the effects of the alleged defamation in New Hampshire."
Attorneys for de Laire told NCR the lawsuit now enters into the discovery phase of litigation and that it would likely take "a year or longer" for the case to go to trial...
Priests have, historically, "turned the other cheek," said Cafardi, noting that there's nothing in canon law that would prevent such a suit.
Lionel : Canon Law does not permit a pope, cardinal, bishop or judicial vicar to deceptively use a False Premise to change the meaning of the Creeds and the Catechisms. Now the diocese is trying to force Catholics to accept all this heresy and schism or they will be declared 'legally not Catholic'. Even St.Thomas Aquinas and G.K Chesterton would come under this category.-Lionel Andrades
https://www.ncronline.org/news/media/church-militant-founder-may-face-legal-reckoning-defamation
OCTOBER 11, 2021
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