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Fr. Thomas Rosica.Salt and Light / Youtube

TORONTO, March 29, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) ― An informal team of journalists and academics have discovered that Father Thomas Rosica, CSB, the CEO of Canada’s Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, plagiarized parts of more than 57 of his his published works since 1985.

Because earlier stories about Rosica’s plagiarism have made waves across the Catholic Church in Canada, where the Basilian priest has had great influence for more than 25 years, LifeSiteNews has taken pains to provide evidence of his misappropriation of intellectual work. What hitherto has been lost in the story, thanks to the limitations of time and space, is the sheer scale of Rosica’s plagiarism.  

The passages, sentences, and phrases that Rosica has taken verbatim from his sources without giving credit could fill a book on their own. Adding the sentences he has slightly changed and the ideas he has appropriated would make for an even thicker volume. Analysis shows that Rosica has rarely taken from only one writer to compose many of his works but has stitched sentences, phrases or ideas by different authors onto his own new or recycled paragraphs.

Fr. Rosica has not only taken material from others without attribution, he has plagiarized from himself. This means he has reproduced material from earlier works in later works without indicating their provenance. Although this is a lesser misdemeanour in academia, it means that material Rosica plagiarized for one work has reappeared in others. This makes it more difficult to assess how many unique incidents of plagiarism there may have been between 1985 and his career-changing 2019 speech at the Von Hügel Institute.   

An added difficulty in researching the scope of Rosica’s plagiarized work is his habit of changing slightly some of the borrowed sentences. For example, in the book The Seven Last Words of Christ, Rosica changes the words of St. John Paul II on the woman taken in adultery from “We note also Jesus’ profound humanity in his treatment of the unfortunate woman, of whose sins he certainly disapproved, for he said to her ‘Go your way, and from now on do not sin again’” to “We also observe Jesus’ profound humanity in his treatment of the unfortunate woman …” etc.  This makes his misappropriations more difficult to find in an online search.

Here follows a list of Rosica’s works in which journalists and scholars have found plagiarized sentences or passages. Some have since been taken out of public circulation or retracted (disowned) by the publisher. Some have the names of those whose material was used without credit attached.

The list, originally tabulating 57 works over 34 years, will be updated as more plagiarism is discovered and brought to our attention.

1985

“A Joyful Mysticism for Our Time: Rahnerian Reflections on the Christian Life,” The Priest, (June 1985): 30-35. Material taken from Karl Lehmann and Albert Raffelt without attribution. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

1986

“Le mysticism chrétien et la vie religieuse selon Karl Rahner,” La vie des communautés religieuses 1 (jan-fev 1986): 25-40. French translation of “A Joyful Mysticism.” (See above.)

1989

“A Time to be True to Our Words,” The Priest (December 1989): 41-43. Material taken from Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini without attribution. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

1990

“Hearts Burning Within Us: The Disciples of Emmaus,” The Priest 46.4 (April 1990): 12-14. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild.

1991

“Child of Light, Prince of Peace: An Advent Reflection,” The Bible Today 29.6 (November 1991): 371-375.(Retracted.) Material taken from J. Fitzmyer; W. Harrington; John Oswalt; Fr. Joseph Plevnik, SJ; and S.H. Widyapranawa without attribution. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild.

1992

“In Search of Jesus: The Emmaus Lesson,” Church 8.1 (Spring 1992): 21-25. Material taken from Pheme Perkins without attribution. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

1993

“Two Journeys of Faith: Luke 24:3-35 & Acts 8:25-40,” The Bible Today 31.3 (May 1993): 177-180. (Retraction requested as several unattributed sources noted.) Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild.

1994

“The Road to Emmaus and the Road to Gaza: Luke 24:13-35 and Acts 8:26-40,” Worship 68.2 (March 1994): 117-131. (Retracted.) Material taken from Jerome Neyrey, SJ; F.F. Bruce;

Edward J. Young; Clarice Martin; J.M. Gibbs; C.H. Lindijer; and Jean-Noël Aletti without attribution. Discovered by Josh Hochschild and Michael Dougherty.

“Encounters with Christ: Word and Sacrament,” Church 10.1 (Spring 1994): 9-13. Material taken from Joseph Pathranpankal; C.H. Lindijer; R.J. Dillon; Jean-Noel Aletti; William H. Willimon; and Carroll Stuhlmueller without attribution. Discovered by Mathew Block and Josh Hochschild.

2004

“Don’t take the wrong message.” The Globe and Mail. February 20, 2004. Discovered by Mathew Block.

2006

“Pope Benedict’s first encyclical.” The Globe and Mail. January 23, 2006. Material taken from John Allen Jr., Nicole Winfield, and Cindy Wooden. Discovered by Mathew Block.

2009

“Luke 24: The Resurrection Symphony.” (Expanded version of 1992’s In Search of Jesus (above), Speech to Vancouver Priests’ Study Day, November 2009. Material taken from Fr. Joseph Plevnik, S.J.; John Drury; Pheme Perkins; Walter L. Liefeld; B.M. Metzger; Jerome Murphy-O’Connor; J. Fitzmyer; Eugene A. LaVerdiere and William G. Thompson; R.J. Dillon; and “DJH” without attribution. Discovered by Mathew Block.

2010

“A Martyr to Solidarity.” The Globe and Mail. June 9, 2010. Material taken from Archbishop Cyril S. Bustos without attribution. Discovered by Mathew Block.

“Thy Will be Done Through Us, In Spite of Us and Because of Us: Reflections on Pastoral Leadership and Ministry in the Church of 2010 and Beyond,” Seminary Journal 16.2 (2010): 77-85. Material taken from Benedict XVI, Fr. Lombardi, Paul Zalonski, Archbishop Prendergast, Fr. Schoch, Bishop Blaire, Archbishop DiNoia, Fr. Senior, Bishop Barron, Archbishop Quinn, Fr. Ian Ker, Cardinal Dolan et alia without attribution. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild. (Retracted.)

2011

“Dare to be saints,” L’Osservatore Romano, April 20, 2011. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild.

“The meaning of John Paul’s beatification.” The National Post. April 29, 2011. Discovered by Mathew Block.

Speech on the New Evangelization first given in Chicago. Published in Origins, November 17, 2011. Material taken from Cardinal George without attribution. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

2012

Words Made Flesh: Scripture Reflections for (Years A, B, C) (three volumes). Book. Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2012. Material taken from Archbishop Luigi Ventura and others (see list here) without attribution. Many of the reflections were previously published by Zenit. Discovered by LSN.  

“Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha: Mohawk Mystic of North America,” L’Osservatore Romano, March 7, 2012, p. 6. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

“Making Time for God: Catholic Spirituality 2.0 for Busy People,” Origins 42.1 (May 10, 2012): 9-15. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild.

“Never Afraid,” Obituary for Cardinal Carlo Martini, The Tablet, September 8, 2012, 5-7.   Material taken from James Martin, SJ; The Times of London; Alan Brill; Clerical Whispers blog;, Cindy Wooden, and La Stampa without attribution. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

2013

“Pope Benedict offers us another great teaching: humility,” The Globe and Mail, February 12, 2013. Discovered by Mathew Block.

“Remembering Cardinal Carlo Martini, SJ – First Anniversary of Death,” Salt and Light Media, August 30, 2013. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

“An Inside Look into the Papal Transition.” Speech. Assumption College, Windsor, Ontario. October 3, 2013. Material taken from Richard Gaillardetz without attribution. Incident published by David Domet in 2015.

“Pope Francis One Year Later,”  The Windsor Star, December 23, 2013. Material taken from Robert W. McElroy and Fr. Thomas Reese, S.J. without attribution. Discovered by Mathew Block.

“Christmas and Pope Francis.” The Windsor Star. December 24, 2013. Material taken from Pope Francis and Robert W. McElroy without attribution. Discovered by Mathew Block.

2014   

“Pope Francis One Year Later,” The Windsor Star, 2014. Material taken from Robert W. McElroy without attribution. Discovered by Mathew Block.

“Two Holy Popes who Loved God’s Chosen People,” Ecumenism 189 (Spring 2014): 27-29. Material taken from Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein; Abraham Cooper; Jerry Filteau; and Joel Marcus without attribution. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild. (Retracted.)

Interview with Patricia Zapor. Catholic News Service. November 10, 2014. Material taken from Daniel Conway without attribution. Discovered by LSN.

“Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in the Mind and Heart of Pope Francis, ” Origins, 44.25 (November 20, 2014), 416-421. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild.

2015  

“The Decree on Ecumenism: 50 Years Later.” Keynote address at  “Symposium on Christian Unity – Have We Answered the Call?” Archdiocese of Vancouver, Canada, January 17, 2015. Material taken from Cardinal Walter Kasper; Pope Francis; Benedict XVI; Archbishop Paul-André Durocher; Philip Potter; Norman P. Tanner; Warren Schmidt; Wallace Platt; John L. Allen, Jr.; Deborah Gyapong; R. Andrew Chesnut; Cindy Wooden; Vatican Radio; and Unitatis Redintegratio without attribution. Discovered by Mathew Block.

“New Directions in Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations in the Mind & Heart of Pope Francis.” Address to the USCCB Committee for Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs. La Stampa, February 23, 2015. Material taken from Daniel Conway without attribution. Discovered by LSN.

“Men Who Loved God’s Chosen People,” L’Osservatore Romano, Friday, 4 April 2015, pp. 9-10. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

“Gaudium et Spes at 50.” Keynote address delivered by Fr. Rosica to the Association of United States Catholic Priests in St. Louis, Missouri on June 30, 2015. Material taken from Fr. John O'Malley, Kenneth Himes, Benedict XVI, St. John Paul II, Cardinal Tagle without attribution. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

“Losing Sight of the Sacred,” L’Osservatore Romano, Friday, 25 July 2015, pp. 5, 9. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

“Did Pope Francis say anything new on abortion?” America, September 1, 2015. Material taken from James T. Bretzke, S.J and Bishop Donald Wuerl without attribution. Discovered by Matthew Schmitz. (Text removed.)

“We have nothing to fear from the family synod,” Catholic Herald, September 24, 2015. Material taken from Cardinal Baldisseri without attribution. (Text removed.)

'Allahu akbar' was never a call to violence and destruction.America. November 16, 2015. (Text removed.)   

2016

“Evangelizing the Secular World.” Speech. 2016 Eucharistic Congress (January 20-22, 2016), Cebu City, Philippines. Material taken from Daniel Conway, Michiko Kakutani. Discovered by LSN. Published as “Evangelizing the Secular World,” in Origins, 45.37 (February 18, 2016), 58-62.

“Three Years of the Francis Effect,” The Catholic Weekly, March 16, 2016. Material taken from Daniel Conway. Discovered by LSN.

“Pope Francis’ biggest feat in three years? Proving he’s a regular guy,” The Globe and Mail, March 18, 2016. Material taken from Michiko Kakutani and E.J. Dionne without attribution. Discovered by Mathew Block.

“The Church as Field Hospital in the Digital Media World,” Origins, 46.4, (May 26, 2016): 58-62. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild.

“No-one to Care for Them,” L’Osservatore Romano, Friday, 22 July, 2016, pp. 9-10. Material taken from Rachel Aviv, Archbishop Cordileone, Elizabeth Lev, Margaret Somerville and Michael Swan without attribution. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.  

“Bl. Jerzy Popiełuszko: Sacrament of Nonviolence at the Heart of the Martyred Polish Priest’s Life,” Zenit, July 25, 2016. Material taken from Archbishop Cyril S. Bustos without attribution. Discovered by LSN.

“The Sacrament of Non-violence Makes Martyrs for the Truth,” Salt and Light, July 25, 2016. Material taken from Archbishop Cyril S. Bustos without attribution. Discovered by LSN.

“Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko” L’Osservatore Romano, 5 August 2016, pp.19. Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

2017

The Seven Last Words of Christ. Novalis, 2017. (French version, Novalis; Italian version, Libreria Editrice Vaticana; American distribution Twenty-Third Publications.) Material taken from Bernard Guy; Laura Dytynyshyn; William G. Storey; Joel Marcus; Edmund Mitchell; Rosalind Brown; Pope Francis; Gustavo Gutierrez; Roman Catholic Lectionary; Bishop Eamon Murphy; St. John Paul II; Benedict XVI; Fr. Antony Hughes; New American Bible  “Notes to Luke;” Rev. Linda Pepe; and Rev. Peter Slofstra without attribution. Discovered by Josh Hochschild and LSN.   

“A Lexicon for Evangelization and Pastoral Ministry according to the Mind and Heart of Pope Francis,” Origins, 46.40 (March 9, 2017): 89-91. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild.

“Healing and Hope for Wounded Healers,” Origins 47.6 (June 8, 2017): 89-91. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild.

2018

Stay with Us: Encounters with the Risen Lord. Novalis, 2018. (French version, Novalis; American distributor: Twenty-Third Publications.) Discovered by Josh Hochschild.

“Divine Mercy Sunday,” Salt and Light, April 6, 2018. Material taken from Michiko Kakutani.

“Waiting for the day when the Spirit will make us one.” Keynote address to the National Workshop for Christian Unity in Silver Spring, Maryland on April 18, 2018. Material taken from Cardinal Walter Kasper and Fr. Thomas Reese, SJ without attribution. Published as “Waiting for the day when the Spirit will make us one,” Ecumenical Trends, 47.5 (May 2018) 1-6,14. (Retracted.) Discovered by Mathew Block and Josh Hochschild.   

Father Henry Carr lecture, May 24, 2018, St. Mark’s College, University of British Columbia.  Material taken from Gregory K. Hillis. Discovered by LSN.    

“The Message and the Messenger,” The Priest (June 2018): 26-31. Material taken from Richard Hart; Verity Jones; Keith Anderson; Christine Rosen; and Helen Osman without attribution. Discovered by Michael Dougherty and Josh Hochschild. (Retracted.)

“The Ignatian Qualities of Pope Francis”, Salt and Light blog, July 31, 2018. Material taken from Chris Lowney; Sean Salai, SJ; Wikipedia. Discovered by Matthew Schmitz.  

“We can only move forward when we name the evil of clericalism,” National Catholic Register, August 23, 2018. Material (12 paragraphs) taken from Fr. Roger Landry. Discovered by Matthew Schmitz.

2019

Von Hügel Lecture, February 8,  2019, St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge University. Material taken from Gregory K. Hillis; Cardinal Walter Kasper; Fr. Thomas Reese, SJ; Cardinal Edwin O’Brien; ad Fr. James Martin, SJ. Discovered by LSN.

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