The abuse at St. Michael's College School, "Starts at the top!"

Kyle Fraser is a 21-year-old former student at St. Michael's College School. He is interviewed by the Toronto Star (no friend of Catholicism). Fraser left the school after Grade 10, he was continually verbally abused, though he does not state if this was from students, lay staff or priests. Fraser states that the problem, "starts at the top."

Fraser is correct. The reporters call the issue, "toxic masculinity."

While the behaviour and culture are "toxic" it is certainly not proper "masculinity." Men protect, men lead, men champion truth, men govern with "goodness, discipline and knowledge," something this school and the Basilian Congregation long ago forgot, They exchanged their motto for money, power and sexual perversion.

The President, Principal and Board are a disgrace and should resign. Some should face lawsuits and prosecution.

I can personally testify that my own experience with Basilan priests at the age of 13 was one of physical brutality, verbal abuse and public humiliation. Let me assure you that the scars of abuse victims are carried all their lives. Prayer, therapy and support can assist in coping and moving forward but the marks last forever. I will take mine to my grave. The effects of the abuse and assault on this boy at SMCS, around the same age as I was, will be with him all his life. He needs to accept that and not try to bury it, as I did. He must seek resolution in prayer, therapy, family and true masculinity. I still bear the scars and the effects. The boy and his family must hold SMCS and its leadership, including the Board, accountable. It took this writer forty years to seek justice from that filthy congregation of brutes, abusers and perverts. How little did I know then that a few years later, another Basilian would come at me again? Thomas J. Rosica has sent me over a dozen emails of insult, rudeness, degradation and judgement. He attempted to sue me into poverty because he feared the truth. Thomas J. Rosica learned well in Rochester from those Baslians who were familiar to him there. His pattern of behaviour to me is indicative of the long-standing problem of that Congregation. It has continued at SMCS today. 

In both cases, from 1969 and 2015, I took on these wretched Basilian abusers and thugs and triumphed. 

The problem at SMCS indeed, "starts at the top." It starts with a rotten Congregation of priests who long ago exchanged Jesus Christ for the world of money, greed, power, perversion and sodomy.

They gave that boy a broomstick up the rectum. I was lucky, I escaped their filthy clutches before that could happen to me. 

Yes, the problem started at the top.


Basilians
https://www.theinquiry.ca/wordpress/rc-scandal/basilians/

Ontario jury sets record punitive award against Catholic Church over priest’s abuse
ttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-jury-sets-record-punitive-award-against-catholic-church-over/

Victim of abuse by Sudbury priest awarded $2.5M
https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/victim-of-abuse-by-sudbury-priest-awarded-25m-907564

Toronto man sexually abused 50 years ago by predatory priest awarded $2.6M

https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2018/04/27/toronto-man-sexually-abused-50-years-ago-by-predatory-priest-awarded-26m.html

Basilian priest charged with abusing Ottawa student in 1972

https://www.catholicregister.org/item/8573-basilian-priest-charged-with-abusing-ottawa-student-in-1972

Former student alleges repeated abuse by Calgary priest, high school teacher

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/former-head-altar-boy-alleges-repeated-abuse-by-calgary-priest-high-school-teacher

Victims of disgraced Windsor priest launch new $3M lawsuits against Catholic Church

http://www.windsorstar.com/life/victims+disgraced+windsor+priest+launch+lawsuits+against+catholic+church/5831271/story.html

Elderly sex offender priest to be released from prison on Thanksgiving

https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/william-marshall-released-from-prison-thanksgiving

St. Mike’s sex abuse victim sues priest

https://culteducation.com/group/874-clergy-abuse/4077-st-mikersquos-sex-abuse-victim-sues-priest.html

Tom Rosica: "Remove the beam in your own eye, How can you live with yourself. How can you celebrate Mass?"

It seems that Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has some legal problems. Crux is reporting that a court in Milan has ordered him to make a financial settlement to his brother. When Viganò issued his Testimony, something learned about him was that he came from an old and wealthy aristocratic Italian family. This has enabled him to not rely on the Church for his retirement and given him the ability to protect himself from those who would seek to do him harm at this time.

Whether he acted inappropriately or not is not of any importance in the debate over McCarrick or those who supported his advancement and the advancement of others in the Church like him. He has rightly called out the homosexualist mafia in the Church and its destructiveness. 

Yet, there are those who continue to try to discredit him because of what he has written but fail to address what he has written. This, in itself, is a testimony that what he has said is true. 

Tom Rosica mocks the Viganò family writing, "What a beautiful Christian family."

One should be very careful about casting stones when one lives in a glass house because every family has its tragedies.

http://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/crime-safety/2018/02/01/william-rosica-sentenced-irondequoit-police-officer-stalking-ex-girlfriend

https://13wham.com/news/local/former-irondequoit-cop-sentenced-to-5-years-for-stalking-ex-girlfriend

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2018/02/01/william-rosica-cyberstalking-irondequoit-police/1066926001/



Tom Rosica asks the Archbishop on Twitter, "How can you celebrate Mass."

After dozens of mocking emails to me and an attempt to sue me and my family into poverty through a vexatious and frivolous lawsuit, I can ask the same question.

"Tom, how can you celebrate Mass?"

One year ago today

It was one year ago today on what was in 2015, Shrove Tuesday; I sat lunching with a colleague, and an email came over my smart-phone from Fogler, Rubinoff, LLB, one of Toronto's most expensive legal firms. It was a demand to cease and desist from writing on this blog anything said or done by Father Thomas J. Rosica, CSB, remove past posts and issue a public apology to him for challenging certain public statements by him on this blog. If I did not do so within an incredibly short period of time, I would be sued. If I did, I was threatened with a lawsuit, regardless.

Just over a two-weeks later, the matter ended. After retaining Counsel, I refused to comply with his outrageous demands and advised him so, giving him room to graciously exit the room backwards. Rather than take that opportunity, he chose instead to "double-down," as the expression goes, making even more ridiculous demands. We not only refused, but pulled the first magnanimous offer of settlement off the table and threw it right back at him. "Fish or cut bait" is one of the expressions, for what we did; in other words, he had until March 3, 2015 at close of business to either sue or go away. 

Go away, he did.

Between that February 17 and March 3 remarkable things happened.

• Michael Voris came to my rescue with a video interview that sent a shock-wave around the Catholic blogging world.
• Hundreds of bloggers took up the cause that what was really at play here was an attempt by a Vatican official and perhaps even those higher up to shut down debate before the Synod on the Family.
• A Cardinal of the Holy Church, Raymond Leo Burke,  provided clarity on priests, laity and lawsuits, and did so publicly.
• A holy bishop in an obscure diocese in a former Soviet Republic, Athanasius Schneider, offered Mass and wrote words of great spiritual comfort and consolation to my wife and me.
• Upon entering Mass that first Sunday afterwards, a parishioner walked up to me and shook my hand. In his was a cheque for the exact amount, 100% of funds to cover the retainer provided to hire the lawyer (since returned to him) with the comment, "this is from Our Lady."
• The offers of hundreds of people who would donate to a fundraising campaign to finance a robust defense of the frivolous and vexatious actions.
• The offer of a "pro-bono" Canon Lawyer from the United States of America who would undertake a robust challenge in church courts to the action.
• The prayers, rosaries, Masses of hundreds of readers of this blog which quickly grew to thousands. Friends old and new came to my aid. Knives came out from others who used the opportunity to slander, including accusing my wife and I of living in adultery, but they were quickly disgraced by their own calumnies and evil motivation and the power of your prayers. 
• The new friends on blogs around the world.
• PewSitter!
• Last here but first in all things, the Grace of God poured out upon this sinner who is undeserving of it all.

That morning, this rather obscure blog had just over 600,000 hits after ten years. I suspect that by the end of the day today or tomorrow, it will surpass 1.8 million. 

For all of your prayers especially and notes. For your kindness and offers of help. For everything you did during that stressful time, I thank you. Fox thanks you and may Our Lord bless you.

EWTN's National Catholic Regsiter permits libel and defamation against Pope Francis and Vox Cantoris in its combox - violates its own comment posting policy

The National Catholic Register which can join the "Reporter" in the fish-wrap category has a comment in its post regarding the recent situation and the lifting of the threat of a lawsuit which was apparently never real in the first place, it was all just a little game.

Why is a Catholic journal of great respect and owned by EWTN allowing an anonymous comment of "Francis Pope" in the combox that contains nothing but calumny, slander, character assassination and defamation?  

If you think that I'm peeved now, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

I demand its removal, a retraction and a public apology!

Let them know what you think and please post a copy in the combox below.

http://www.ncregister.com/info/write-us

One more thing; my wife and I married during a solemn nuptial mass. We have been publicly accused on an insipid and dyspeptic blog of adultery. The person that has done this is known to me and has engaged in harassment for four years but never to this extent. Unfortunately, while the blog has few people reading it intentionally, it ends up on search engines and feeds where this slander can become widespread. Further, the Church's canonical procedure of annulments has been held in disrepute by these two people. It is a heresy to deny the power of Peter to "bind and loose" and to "deny and loose" as these have done. I have previously spoken with my "brother" and have taken "two" to counsel him. I have now "taken it to the Church" to his Pastor and two other Toronto priests. While I have ignored it in the past, torontotlmserving@gmail.com, this I can no longer ignore. 

Furthermore, the person behind Wendy List, Linda List, Maggie, Francis Pope who operates from 0102anonymous@gmail.com and whatever pseudonym that cowardly mind can conjure up should be aware that the I.P. address has been determined and all of this information has been provided to your Pastor. Unlike others, I choose to follow Holy Scripture as found in the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. It is now up to him to deal with you through the internal forum. The fact that you wrote the bile which was then reprinted by the young and impressionable blogger in question has deepened your own culpability and perpetuated your own public scandal by inviting him to participate in it.

Suffice to say, I am not putting up with this harassment any longer.

While I don't agree with every thing our Pope has said or done, I am certainly not going to accuse him of  "smoking a big, big spliff in a jacuzzi!"  with a priest who was known to engage previously in a manner for which we can ask "who are we to judge!" Now, how did that calumny escape the attention of the moderator!

Shame on the NCRegister and shame on both of you who are, objectively speaking, in serious need of spiritual guidance, confession and penance, I suggest you obtain it quickly for you not what time the Bridegroom comes.

Update at 20:00hrs EDT

I am pleased to report that the young man with the blog linked at the National Catholic Register combox has purged the many offensive posts from his blog. Let us hope he has learnt his lesson and refrains from any further behaviour in this regard.

However the National Catholic Register has still not undertaken the removal of the offensive (and apparently moderated comment) which includes calumnious description of Pope Francis and others.

Raymond Arroyo has taken it upon himself to apologise. He is a man of class.

* * *

Posted by Frances Pope on Sunday, Mar 8, 2015 1:03 PM (EDT):

This website of a young Catholic I know;and Domet has been slandering on the web for years is worth visiting.  It might educate people to the truth.

Here is what this young man has to say.  He is right.

“...Worse, I hate to see it done to young people of my generation and the next. To do it to the Church`s next generation and kids, to me, is a darker, more villainous sin to commit vs. older adults. It is deeply contrary to the New Evangelization, and instead embraces a New Tyranny…”

Posted by Frances Pope on Sunday, Mar 8, 2015 12:52 PM (EDT):

This case is not as cut and dry as you think.  It’s amazing that those who know little or nothing are writing or commenting here.

My experience with Domet who has maliciously slandered Young Catholics on the web,is voiced by Maggie on another Blog.  I take the liberty of forwarding a very accurate comment by Maggie on another blog which was deleted by the blogger who happened to be a Domet supporter.

“

...

David is no martyr. He’s been brazenly libelling people for years; and we’re not just talking of people like Fr. Rosica. He’s written tirades in his blogs against people who were formally his friends, kids at least 3 decades younger than he. He’s even lashed out at others in the traditionalist movement here in Toronto and undermined their efforts when they've organized Solemn Masses on Holy Days at churches that haven’t so much as smelt incense in 40 years.

This man was a ticking time bomb. It was only a matter of time. If Rosica pursues this and decides to reach out to other people David’s libelled it could get interesting. And it would be his own doing.

I’ve been reading comments on the traditional Catholic blogosphere giving David all kinds of advice from “hiring a canon lawyer” to suggestions of writing to our archbishop or even writing to the pope. Some are painting this as some vast conspiracy instigated by Francis to silence blogs that he doesn’t like. With respect, Francis is likely busier smoking a big big spliff with Rabbi Skorka and Msgr. Ricca in a heated jacuzzi in Sanctae Marthae than following bloggers of the likes of Domet. All this support from clueless people who don’t even know him just feeds the beast that is David’s ego at the expense of more sober thought.

Rosica has a good prima facie case for libel. This is true not because the judges are bad or the system is corrupt or because Canada is an awful, hedonistic, sodomitic, anti-Catholic country. If Mars were a common law jurisdiction, David would be in trouble there too. Considering all the facts, should he issue a retraction, remove the objectionable posts and escape this with his finances in order, his roof over his head and not facing [redacted] it’ll be because of Fr. Rosica’s goodness. But knowing David, he won’t do that. Facts and laws be damned. David is always right, you see”

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/uneasy-truce-vatican-spokesman-will-not-sue-canadian-blogger-for-public-cri/

To EWTN:

PLEASE REFER THIS MATTER IMMEDIATELY TO THE EXECUTIVES OF EWTN

Sirs,

My name is David Anthony Domet and I own the blog at www.voxcantor.blogspot.com. I have been a subscriber of EWTN for over 15 years.

Your newspaper, The National Catholic Register, has permitted in its combox a comment regarding me that is libellous, defamatory, calumniating and filled with outright lies posted by someone anonymous using the name of "Francis Pope." 

How is it possible that this bile made it through a comment moderator?

Vox Cantoris: NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER PERMITS CALUMNY, SLANDER AND DEFAMATION IN COMBOX FROM ANONYMOUS SOURCES!

This is a disgrace for a Catholic publication and EWTN. The person that has done this is known to me and has been harassing me for four years. She is in a grievous state of mortal sin, objectively speaking, and you have participated in it by publishing her filth and bile.

I demand that this filth be removed immediately and that an apology for it and a retraction be printed at the top of the story.

Yours truly,

=

Vox Cantoris

And this:

Dear Mr. Domet,

On behalf of EWTN I will step forward and apologize. 

I'm so sorry. 

Raymond

Inés San Martin, Phil Lawler and Kathy Schiffer - My parting shot to three journalists in a fading media

Inés San Martin, Phil Lawler and Kathy Schiffer - this one's just for you.

I'm the little guy, just what the video on Church Militant TV by Michael Voris portrayed. A family man with a mortgage and car payments, a dog and friends and a love for Christ and His Church. I speak the truth and I write the truth and some people don't like it - well, that is their problem not mine. As St. Thomas More said "We must pray that when your head stops spinning, your face is front again."

One day a few weeks ago, I got hit with what could have been the fight of my life. You three come late to the cause, a just cause - my defence from losing my home and my health for a frivolous and vexatious action that is now defended by the very libel and defamation of which I was falsely accused. Let me tell you three so-called journalists something. The little people are not stupid, they've seen through it and they don't need you and your buttered-bread media to spin it to them.

You're lazy journalists and you lack compassion for the real victim and you didn't even bother to find the real story or read between the lines. 

You made suppositions and assumptions. You wrote and gave opinion and you did not interview me and you did not treat this with the seriousness that it deserved for the mainstream Catholic press. Breitbart and Renew America didn't interview either but they had no pony in the race and no agenda and both of them presented a more balanced picture.

I've woken this morning with a burr in my saddle and I'm directing it at the three of you.

I didn't need you before or read you and I don't need you now and I won't read you and I recommend that nobody else does either. So go and sue me for hurting your subscriptions.

But let me tell you this.

You sit there in your little paid journalistic job with your college education - what do you earn 30k maybe 40k US, if that? Or you beg for money to keep your web page going. Ha, you're hardly worth even that. You're a bunch of sycophants doing the bidding of ecclesiastics. Tell me something Miss San Martin; how did you know that the matter was dropped before I did? You obviously had lots of time to write that story, no doubt; but not enough time to enquire with me?

You see down here where the real people, "the rabble" live, there are real issues for me and my family associated with this disgusting mess that was put upon me without justice and without charity and without humility and should never have happened in the first place.

Nowhere in your blathering did I find an ounce of compassion for the personal hardship and stress that this sordid, unnecessary event put on me or my wife. Nor did I see any sympathy for the fact that my legal fees are not "pro bono." Oh, that's the cost of writing a blog, eh? You're all Americans - you have freedom of speech and freedom of the press don't you? Or have you succumbed to the obamanisation of your once great land. You're a bunch of alinskyite trolls doing the bidding of those who pull your strings.  You're not free thinking journalists. You get your bread buttered by the Catholic Church and you're afraid to lose whatever it is they give you. How do you sleep?

The accusations were false to begin with and now I have the bill to deal with. Why did you not challenge the fact that indeed there was a "threat" of a lawsuit.  You let that one get away and did not hold accountable the inaccuracy of the statement which is there for all to see. I did not see you report or give an opinion or show compassion for the physical or emotional affects that this putrid event took on me or my wife or our closest friends or my productivity in other tasks over the last three weeks or the general scandal for the Church! 

You call yourselves Catholics, pfft!

I didn't need you then and I don't need you now.

What you don't know is "the rest of the story" and there is much to tell, but you were tools in a tool box, and lazy journalists and too worried about your buttered bread to bother to seek the truth and the full story.

Maybe some day I'll tell it and it won't be pretty; it will finally hold people accountable for what they did a long time ago and not so long ago and it will expose the whole lot of them for what they truly are. Someone's going to get that story out there, but it won't be you.

Now go sue me.

'Tis indeed a most wonderful life

The last few weeks have been quite instructive. Let's be clear, I never asked nor expected that this blog or my name would be on hundreds of blogs or conservative secular media. The truth is, I would be happy if it were otherwise. It seems though, in the main-stream Catholic media, I'm just a "discontented lazy rabble" blogger getting in the way. The people of the Catholic world are awakening "all because a few starry-eyed" bloggers "stir 'em up and fill their heads with a lot of impossible ideas!" The secular press in the United States, Breitbart and Renew America showed more respect and accuracy for the situation to say nothing of the hundreds of blogs in multiple languages around the world than the main-stream Catholic media.

Since this situation began nearly three weeks ago, this "obscure" blog has had a ten and some days twenty-fold increase in readers to say nothing of a climb of 9,000,000 in Alexa rankings. Since you're all here, welcome and know this, there won't be any joining of the "church of nice" so if you're easily offended, TTFN, which is a polite and truly Canadian manner of speech rather than STFU, but then again, I'm not a boyzillian. George Bailey is more my model and we know what a wonderful life he had and that Clarence finally got his wings.

The little people, "this rabble," who do "most of the working and p[r]aying and living and dying" in the Church" -- John and Mary Catholic with a keyboard and monitor (not a pen and a phone) are taking up the cause of Truth around the world. Whilst a keyboard and monitor do not a turn us into "bishops or liturgists" they do give us a voice far beyond Pottersville to fulfill our canonical rights and obligations. We are more than a collection plate now, except of course in Germany where the bishops have their kirchensteuer and pornography businesses,  and enough Euros to make Mr. Potter envious.

The mainstream Catholic press took a much different approach. It was gratifying to be called a “nut” in the combox at Crux and I was a little surprised by the fact that it was removed. Considering the source I'd took it as a badge of honour. Crux seems to be nothing more than the non-liturgical version of Pray, Tell and Worship where it's all telling and little of the other two. Phil Lawler at Catholic Culture, when not begging for money on every article or to leave him a comment, refers to your writer as “hounding” a certain cleric - (oh, if he only knew the real truth about that). Noted also is Kathy Schiffer in the National Catholic Register stating that “Indeed, Domet’s blog has been inflammatory. Domet opposes any discussion of change with regard to the family. He was an outspoken critic of last year’s synod on the family and has sounded an alarm in advance of the upcoming synod in fall 2015.”

Oh, and you're owned by EWTN? Mother, Mother! Look at what they've done with what you've built. Maybe you should have "blown it up" before you let them have it.

Any Catholic with an ounce of faith should have opposed “any discussion of change with regard to the family” at last October’s Extraordinary Synod. As for this writer and all the new friends made in the last three weeks out there sounding “the alarm in advance of the upcoming synod in the fall of 2015,” you can be absolutely certain, Miss Schiffer, that it is going to continue.

Inés, Phil and Kathy; the next time, you want to know what an obscure blogger thinks, why not actually get in touch and do a proper interview and check all the facts, or would that be expecting too much from a medium that has not come to grips with the fact that there is an alternative to those who have their bread buttered on both sides by ecclesiastics and burn incense at the altar of the Mr. Potters of the world.

Oh, and one more thing, the Church and Catholics need these "measly" blogs "if only to have some place where people can come without crawling" to the main-stream Catholic media!

Thank you Your Eminence and Your Excellency and May Our Blessed LORD protect you and continue to guide you. God love you both!

J.M.J.

Two open letters of public thanks and prayers to two Shepherds and servants in the Vineyard of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Laudetur Jesus Christus!

Your Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke

Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta

Waking on the morning of March 2, 2015 I read on Rorate Caeli Blog an interview wherein you commented generally about lawsuits by Vatican officials against Catholic bloggers and between Christians with reference to the words of Our Blessed Lord and Saint Paul the Apostle. There is no doubt in my mind and that of my spouse Frankie, that the prayers of thousands of Catholics around the world were heard by Our Lord Jesus Christ and Our Blessed Mother and were answered and manifested by your public commentary at what was a most critical time. It was Divine Providence.

Your Eminence; your words provided not only clarity on the situation, which was read and heard by many, but they were words of comfort and encouragement that we were not orphaned. You gave us hope at a most difficult time and the courage to persevere in truth and good faith. From the bottom of our hearts thank you for what you did for us. Know of our filial love and respect for you and that you are in our thoughts and prayers. 

May our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ reward you greatly for your charity and your courage for all you have done for us and for the Church and may the Blessed Mother pour out her love upon you.

With filial love and respect and assurance of our prayers,

Francoise and David Domet

+ + +

Your Excellency Athanasius Schneider

Auxiliary Bishop of Astana

Laudetur Jesus Christus!

Normally, I would never think to share the fact that a Bishop of the Church would take the time to write me an email. Since that is known then I am not sharing a secret, though your letter to me will remain private and close to our hearts.

Please accept our thanks for your prayers, Masses and your kindness in your letters to me. We are very thankful that the problem has resolved itself, heaven was stormed with prayers and grace abounded. Your words in the emails were of great comfort at a very difficult time. They provided solace and consolation; comfort and confidence. My wife and I were very touched by them and we shall treasure them forever. They came at a most difficult time for us and we are grateful to you for your act of loving kindness and the manifestation of the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ for the Christian faithful unknown to you and far away.

May Our Blessed Lord keep you close; may our Blessed Mother pour out her love upon you for what you have done for the faithful not only in your own Diocese but around the world.

Please know that you will be in our prayers.

With filial love and respect,

Francoise and David Domet

Father Thomas J. Rosica, CSB on threat of lawsuit against blogger Vox Cantoris - "the matter is now closed"

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

A message from Father Thomas J. Rosica, CSB

March 4, 2015

From today’s first reading at Mass

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

 * * *

PLEASE NOTE THE LINK TO THE ORIGINAL LETTER FROM FOGLER, RUBINOFF, LLP and the two paragraphs below.

J.M.J

Dear Friends,

1. The first action on the part of this blogger after receiving the letter from Fogler, Rubinoff LLP was to "take it to the Church." This means that your writer went directly to Rome -- to the Vatican on Tuesday, February 17, via email to a direct contact in the Secretariat of State. The request on my part was to intervene "quickly" and this request was not fulfilled. Instead, I was met with an interrogation of my "intentions" which could have been used against me. Later the suggestion was made to humbly accept it as a Lenten sacrifice on Ash Wednesday morning and "apologize" which would have been an admission of guilt for something that did not occur and would have resulted in the silencing and censoring of the blog and a refutation of my rights and duties under Canon 212 §3.

2. Our response to the original letter of Fogler Rubinoff LLP, suggested that Canon Law was the appropriate vehicle and should have been chosen for any perceived grievance.  

3. Our suggestion was not only rebuffed but resulted in new demands including what would have been complete censorship of me and this blog in certain areas meaning by extension, no commentary on the Synod this October and even no linking indirectly to certain commentary on the Synod.

4. Our response to that continued threat of litigation was to advise that we would no longer engage in a campaign of letters and lawfare resulting in a slow and painful bankruptcy. We advised that as of the close of business on March 3, 2015, we would begin to prepare a robust defense should it become necessary and a crowd-funding campaign to finance a rigorous defense.

My wife Francoise and I extend to all of you our gracious thanks for your prayers, your letters, emails tweets messages, phone calls, and your offers of financial support should it have become necessary. Believe me, this has been incredibly hard and painful for her over these last two weeks. We pray that we can humbly offer this up to God our Father united with the Cross of Jesus Christ for reparation and for conversion. 

Friends, we have much work to do for Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. It will not be long until the Synod is upon us. We must be vigilant in proclaiming the eternal truths of the Church and the upholding of doctrine on matters of marriage and the family and most especially, the Holy Eucharist.

All of us have a responsibility and a duty under God to stand for truth and proclaim it from the housetops. We have a duty to stand for Our Lord Jesus Christ, His Church and His Blessed Mother, and all that the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church has taught Magisterially from the beginning. We have our keyboards even if we are not bishops or liturgists and we have our rights and duties under Canon Law. We have God-given abilities and talents and we must use them and not bury them in the sand as we will surely be condemned for doing so. 

Our parents and our grandparents did not have the tools and knowledge that we do today. If they did, we can all presume with some certainty that the so-called "spirit of Vatican II" and the "hermeneutic of rupture" spoken of by our dear Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI would not have occurred or what have been confronted in a way to stamp it out or minimize it. I am reminded of what they would think if we fail them now with the words of John McCrae a Canadian military hero, physician, and poet; "To you from failing hands, we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high if ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep." 

May the Holy Family that model of perfection and love guide us and may St. Michael the Archangel protect us.

God bless you.

Francoise and David Domet