News

May 9, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Both the newspaper and internet versions of the April 5 BC Catholic newspaper reported comments by Fr. Thomas Rosica during his March 22 talk to 65 priests of the Vancouver, Canada diocese, in which he once again condemned LifeSiteNews. LSN editor-in-chief John-Henry Westen was graciously given an opportunity to respond to the comments in an op-ed article published in last week’s edition of the paper and on the paper’s website today.

In his comments to the priests Fr. Rosica, CEO of Salt & Light Television and consulter to the Pontifical Council on Social Communication, referred to LifeSiteNews as a major culprit among “Catholic blogs” that “often have vitriolic, vindictive messages.”

Image

Although LifeSiteNews is not a “blog” and often notes that it is a secular, rather than Catholic international news service, Fr. Rosica charged, “The LifeSite blog is not a Catholic blog. It is not an authoritative blog. It has caused huge problems in the North American church, not just in Canada.”

The Toronto Basilian priest also stated at the meeting, “American bishops are upset about the division it (LifeSiteNews) has caused in the Church.” When asked by a cardinal about the location of LSN’s headquarters, Fr. Rosica told the Vancouver priests that he responded, “It’s somebody’s basement in the Ottawa Valley.’ He thought it was a tower in downtown Toronto, so it’s extremely deceiving.”

LSN’s John-Henry Westen begins his response to the above and other charges stating, “What Father Rosica’s recent comments about LSN and the Catholic blogosphere seem to reveal is a degree of ignorance about the workings of the modern media, and the nature of true charity.”

He then addresses the “head office” and “civility” issues and the issue of how LSN believes that it is answerable to “the demands of truth.”

See the original BC Catholic article, Knocking the kinks out of the Internet

See the LifeSiteNews response op-ed, LifeSiteNews speaks in its own defence