(LifeSiteNews) — A liberal Canadian priest who made international headlines in 2019 after being caught plagiarizing for decades has been invited to lead a conference for parents of “LGBTQ Young Adults” in Ontario next month.
Former Vatican spokesman Father Thomas Rosica CSB is scheduled to facilitate the “Seeing with Heart: A Day of Reflection” at the Jesuit-run Manresa Spiritual Renewal Center in Pickering, east of Toronto, on June 3.
Rosica is the former CEO of the Canadian-based Salt and Light Media Foundation. An apologist for Pope Francis, he previously enjoyed many prominent positions in the Church, including serving on the board of several universities and playing an integral role at the controversial 2015 Synod on the Family, where he pushed a pro-homosexual agenda and claimed there is a “sexual nature” to the Eucharist. He was relegated to obscurity after it was discovered in 2019 that he copied and pasted other people’s work — without attribution — for his essays, speeches, journal articles, op-ed pieces, and books for over three decades. The Canadian Jesuits, poised to award the Basilian priest their Magis Award, withdrew the honor.
The president of the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV) has described assisted suicide as sometimes being the “greatest common good concretely possible” contrary to the Catholic Church's strenuous condemnation of the practice.
This betrayal of the Catholic faith by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia is not for the first time, with the PAV repeatedly causing scandal under his watch by:
- recently appointing a notorious pro-abortion atheist to the organization
- claiming contraception and artificial insemination are sometimes acceptable
- insisting that priests could accompany people through assisted-suicide, and
- that Italy's pro-abortion law is a “pillar” of the country's social life.
SIGN: Pope Francis must remove Abp. Paglia from the Pontifical Academy for Life
“Personally, I would not practice suicide assistance,” Archbishop Paglia told an Italian journalism conference last week, “but I understand that legal mediation may be the greatest common good concretely possible under the conditions we find ourselves in.”
Accepting an anti-life Italian court ruling that specified when assisted-suicide is permitted, the archbishop claimed “it is not to be ruled out that in our society a legal mediation is feasible that would allow assistance to suicide under the conditions specified by Constitutional Court Sentence 242/2019...”
From the outset of his presentation in Perugia, Paglia also undermined the authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, stating: “First of all, I would like to clarify that the Catholic Church is not that it has a ready-made, prepackaged package of truths, as if it were a dispenser of truth pills.”
SIGN: Abp. Paglia must be removed from the Pontifical Academy for Life
The PAV issued a statement on Monday trying to clarify the archbishop's remarks, insisting that Paglia “reiterates his ‘no’ towards euthanasia and assisted suicide, in full adherence to the Magisterium”.
However, far from denouncing Paglia’s words, the PAV unsurprisingly supported its president. Referencing the Italian court ruling which partially decriminalized euthanasia by outlining exceptions to its illegality, the PAV stated it was in the context of this ruling that Paglia had made his comments.
In this precise and specific context, Msgr. Paglia explained that in his opinion a ‘legal mediation’ (certainly not a moral one) in the direction indicated by the Sentence is possible, maintaining the crime and the conditions under which it is decriminalized, as the same Constitutional Court has asked Parliament to legislate.
The PAV’s fudging of the issue was met with consternation from several Catholic commentators, with liturgist Matthew Hazell, who had highlighted Paglia’s original comments, asking “How hard is it for the @PontAcadLife to just say ‘sorry’ for scandalising the faithful? Indeed, how hard is it to actually adhere to the teaching of the Church on life issues? Are you so incapable of reading the signs of the times & interpreting them in the light of the Gospel?”
The Pontifical Academy for Life has tried & failed to explain @monspaglia's remarks. Paglia had spoken about the “accompaniment” needed for the dying, saying “in this context, it is not to be ruled out that in our society a legal mediation is feasible …” https://t.co/C3LU601aA2
— Michael Haynes 🇻🇦 (@MLJHaynes) April 24, 2023
Sorry guys, not good enough. Nowhere near good enough.
— Matthew Hazell (@M_P_Hazell) April 24, 2023
Archbishop Paglia's "opinion" on the possibility of "juridical mediation" regarding euthanasia is still contrary to the Catholic faith, as has been explained already. https://t.co/qMATq0UZrL pic.twitter.com/W8s4zLvkj7
Archbishop Paglia's comments about assisted suicide being "feasible" are wrong and harmful. It's the kind of "crack in the wall" that opponents of human life will run with to promote their agenda. The teaching of the Church is clear: Euthanasia is "morally unacceptable." Period.
— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) April 24, 2023
SIGN: Abp. Paglia's presidency of the Pontifical Academy for Life is untenable
It's vital that the Church and PAV push back against the culture of death, rather than trying to accommodate it and accept a world that where the vulnerable are helped to kill themselves.
Be part of pushing back against the tide and making it clear that there is no room for confusion or betrayal when it comes to the sanctity of human life and the infallibilty of Catholic teaching on the matter.
SIGN AND SHARE THE PETITION WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY
MORE INFORMATION:
Abp. Paglia defends assisted-suicide as 'greatest common good possible' for dying people - LifeSiteNews
In October 2022, Rosica was again accused of plagiarism. Michael V. Dougherty, a professor at Ohio Dominican University, showed that a paper Rosica wrote about Vatican II copied, without citation, large sections of articles published on left-wing Catholic outlets America Magazine and The National Catholic Reporter, among other sources.
Following his fall from grace, Rosica has been spending time ministering to senior citizens in Scarborough, Canada and assisting at several parishes in the Toronto area. He was scheduled to host a webinar for the Canadian Jesuits on January 17, 2023, but the event was abruptly canceled after LifeSiteNews began making inquiries in December 2022.
Rosica’s conference at the Manresa Center will be held on Saturday, June 3 from 9am until 4pm. A pamphlet for the event describes it as a “special day” that will “provide a relaxed and supportive atmosphere to meet and interact with other parents; reflect and discuss concerns and needs; learn about ministries and resources; [and] strengthen your love and grow closer to God.” It does not mention Rosica’s past dishonesty.
In 2018, Rosica said Mass for the dissident group All Inclusive Ministry, which is based in Toronto. He has also defended (and plagiarized) pro-LGBT priest Father James Martin and praised the now-deceased Gregory Baum, a left-wing priest who influenced the Second Vatican Council and in 2017 admitted to living as an active homosexual for decades. Rosica once said that to call same-sex attraction “intrinsically disordered” does “not invite people into dialogue nor does it build bridges.”
On Thursday, May 18, this journalist dialed the number listed on the pamphlet for Mike Hyland, the contact person for the retreat. There followed an almost comedic interview.
‘Hi, I’m looking for Mike Hyland. I’m a reporter with LifeSiteNews. I emailed yesterday. I had a couple questions about a retreat upcoming. Is Mike available?’
‘Can I ask: do you know what this retreat is about?’
‘Yes, it was about Fr. Rosica’s retreat for ‘LGBT young adults.’ I just wanted to ask about that. I’m going to write a story about it. It’s a bit concerning.’
‘I see, I see. Yeah, I don’t think I’m interested in answering your questions.’
‘Is there a reason why?’
‘This is for parents, and you’re not a parent.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I’m only talking to parents at this point.’
‘What if I am a parent?’
‘Well, are you? Do you have a child who is gay, lesbian?’
‘Well, the retreat says it’s for parents of ‘LGBTQ children’ … What is an ‘LGBTQ young adult’? Are you saying someone can be transgender?’
‘Are you a parent? If you’re not a parent, I don’t wish to speak to you.’
‘Not even as a member of the Body of Christ? I’m a fellow Catholic. I’m concerned…’
‘I only speak to parents.’
‘Are you aware of Fr. Rosica’s history of plagiarism?’
‘I am aware of Fr. Rosica’s incredible faithfulness to the church, for his sound teaching, and for his love of God, and love of the Church. I’m aware of all that.’
‘What is ‘sound’ about calling homosexuality not ‘intrinsically disordered’?’
‘I’m going to leave now.’