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May 28, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — In this episode of The John-Henry Westen Show, I speak with Fr. Louis Di Rocco, an old friend of mine from when I worked with Campaign Life Coalition. He recently retired from public ministry after being called to the priesthood later in life. We talk about the COVID lockdowns, the abortion-tainted vaccines, and why he was once silenced by bishops.

After being a teacher for many years, Di Rocco became involved full-time in the pro-life movement in 1992 with Campaign Life Coalition. He says that he made this decision because he considered pro-life work “to be more important” than teaching. He eventually became one of the first Canadian pro-life representatives to the United Nations.

However, as Fr. Di Rocco describes it, many “coincidences” later in his life called him to follow a different vocation, as a priest. He mentions that the main duty of the clergy is to “uphold the truth, justice, and the right to life.”

Similar to situations faced by many faithful and courageous priests around the world today, including Fr. James Altman, Di Rocco explains to me that he was once ordered into silence by the bishops. This came after people complained about his homilies against abortion, euthanasia, and contraception.

He points out that not only priests, but laity, have the responsibility “to get the work done” in actively defending the faith.

Father also says that the coronavirus lockdowns, especially church closures, “were totally unnecessary … and based on untruths and fallacies.” Fr. Di Rocco argues that the government had no authority to mandate and push the Church to cancel public masses and the reception of the sacraments to the faithful. He also points out some regrets he himself has had when he closed his parish. “I told my parishioners if I had to do it over again, I would defy the edict,” Di Rocco states.

Besides condemning the lockdowns, mask mandates, and other restrictions, Di Rocco calls out the abortion-tainted COVID vaccines and the “remote material cooperation” argument used by many, including the Vatican, bishops, and other clergy, to justify that Catholics can take the shots. He mentions that “even if it was only one child that was murdered in this way … it will still be wrong.” He points out that health for this “physical life is not the ultimate value of our lives.”

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John-Henry is the co-founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews.com. He and his wife Dianne have eight children and they live in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada.

He has spoken at conferences and retreats, and appeared on radio and television throughout the world. John-Henry founded the Rome Life Forum, an annual strategy meeting for life, faith and family leaders worldwide. He is a board member of the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family. He is a consultant to Canada’s largest pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, and serves on the executive of the Ontario branch of the organization. He has run three times for political office in the province of Ontario representing the Family Coalition Party.

John-Henry earned an MA from the University of Toronto in School and Child Clinical Psychology and an Honours BA from York University in Psychology.