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.”
The John-Henry Westen Show is available by video on the show’s YouTube channel and right here on my LifeSite blog.
It is also available in audio format on platforms such as Spotify, Soundcloud, and Acast. We are awaiting approval for iTunes and Google Play as well. To subscribe to the audio version on various channels, visit the Acast webpage here.
We’ve created a special email list for the show so that we can notify you every week when we post a new episode. Please sign up now by clicking here. You can also subscribe to the YouTube channel, and you’ll be notified by YouTube when there is new content.
You can send me feedback, or ideas for show topics by emailing [email protected].
By clicking subscribe, you are agreeing to receive emails about The John-Henry Westen Show and related emails from LifeSiteNews.