Diocese, Marywood cancel conservative Catholic speaker [Michael Voris]

Citizens' Voice ^ | April 8, 2011 | Laura Legere

[Alex Murphy]

The Diocese of Scranton and Marywood University refused to host a conservative Catholic speaker this weekend after the organizations determined that he had expressed views at odds with the school's and church's values, they said on Thursday.

Michael Voris, who produces television and radio shows about Catholic issues, was scheduled to speak at two events Saturday arranged by a Harveys Lake couple at Marywood and Our Lady of Victory Catholic church in Harveys Lake.

After Marywood canceled the event, titled "Living Catholicism Radically," it was to be relocated to the diocese's St. Clare/St. Paul Elementary School before the diocese also refused to host Voris.

In a two-sentence statement, the Catholic university said Voris "was initially invited to speak at Marywood University as a conservative Catholic commentator" and the school "later became aware of views expressed by Mr. Voris that are inconsistent with our mission and core values."

A school spokeswoman would not elaborate on what views were at issue, but the diocese described its objections to comments made by Voris in Internet videos that "certainly can be interpreted as being insensitive to people of other faiths."

"The Catholic church teaches us to respect all people, regardless of their faith tradition," the diocese said in a statement. "Although the diocese shares Mr. Voris' support of efforts to protect human life, his extreme positions on other faiths are not appropriate and therefore the diocese cannot host him."

Voris cultivated controversy last year when he said that democracies should "limit the vote to faithful Catholics," that "the body politic continues to be ravaged by the cancer of ignorant, self-centered voters" and that the "only way to run a country is by benevolent dictatorship" by a "Catholic monarch" during one of his daily "The Vortex" video segments at RealCatholicTV.com.

Kristen Ciaccia, who planned both local events with her husband, Paul, expressed disappointment and said Voris is "a very faithful Catholic, faithful to the Magisterium and to the teachings of the church."

The Ciaccias and Voris decided not to try to find new sites for him to speak in the area.

"We want to be faithful to our bishop," she said.

The diocese and Marywood have hosted, or refused to host, controversial speakers in the past.

During the 2008 election, Pepperdine University law professor Douglas Kmiec made an argument at Marywood University that Catholic voters who oppose abortion rights could vote for now President Barack Obama, who supports abortion rights.

Last April, the diocese would not allow anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan to speak in its parishes because of her stated support for abortion rights and gay marriage.

[Alex Murphy]

The Diocese of Scranton and Marywood University refused to host a conservative Catholic speaker this weekend after the organizations determined that he had expressed views at odds with the school's and church's values, they said on Thursday....After Marywood canceled the event, titled "Living Catholicism Radically," it was to be relocated to the diocese's St. Clare/St. Paul Elementary School before the diocese also refused to host [RealCatholic TV host Michael Voris]....

....Voris cultivated controversy last year when he said that democracies should "limit the vote to faithful Catholics," that "the body politic continues to be ravaged by the cancer of ignorant, self-centered voters" and that the "only way to run a country is by benevolent dictatorship" by a "Catholic monarch" during one of his daily "The Vortex" video segments at RealCatholicTV.com.

[Lorica]

So, Alex, Michael Voris is out, and Douglas Kmiec, "who made an argument at Marywood University that Catholic voters who oppose abortion rights could vote for now President Barack Obama, who supports abortion rights" is in?

Do you applaud both the exception to Voris AND the acceptance of Kmiec?

Still waiting for your answer on the other Voris thread, by the way. Your illogical targeting of those who are trying to clean it up what's wrong in the Church is fascinating. I can only surmise that it won't matter to you if the news is good or bad - as long as it drags the Church through the mud. The fact that the NYT is laudable in no other place on FR, except in the religion forum, is fine proof.

[muawiyah]

I read the EWTN rational for pulling Voris' program, and that's not at all consistent with the rationale here.

I do think the Catholic church is speaking with multiple voices ~ even though EWTN's rationale is consistent with an actual RC "official church" action regarding Voris.

So, which is it guys ~ "he's bad, he's bad, you'd better believe he's bad," or, based on a claim of him messing around with up to 8 women (in a Biblical sense ~ see King James version) he was simply SUSPENDED TEMPORARILY from speaking for the RC church.

I bet it's the charge of him messing around ~ it's being investigated.

Which leads me to wonder how such investigation after the fact is conducted, and what humorous scenarios we could think of!

[Alex Murphy]

I read the EWTN rational for pulling Voris' program, and that's not at all consistent with the rationale here.

I read the EWTN rational for pulling Voris' program, and that's not at all consistent with the rationale here. I do think the Catholic church is speaking with multiple voices ~ even though EWTN's rationale is consistent with an actual RC "official church" action regarding Voris.

So, which is it guys ~ "he's bad, he's bad, you'd better believe he's bad," or, based on a claim of him messing around with up to 8 women (in a Biblical sense ~ see King James version) he was simply SUSPENDED TEMPORARILY from speaking for the RC church.

You may be confusing Michael Voris with Fr. Corapi. As far as I know, Voris was accused of messing around with up to 8 women. And Fr. Corapi doesn't pretend to have a full head of hair :)

[Col Freeper]

....Voris cultivated controversy last year when he said that democracies should "limit the vote to faithful Catholics," that "the body politic continues to be ravaged by the cancer of ignorant, self-centered voters" and that the "only way to run a country is by benevolent dictatorship" by a "Catholic monarch" during one of his daily "The Vortex" video segments at RealCatholicTV.com.

Oh my.

Did Mr. Voris really state these positions this directly, I wonder?

Are these two statements being taken out of context?

Perhaps it is someone else, but I somehow thought Mr. Voris was pushing for a more orthodox/conservative RC Church, pushing his arguments about RCs, to RCs, and within the RC Church, not what he appears to be arguing for in this article (if this is really what he said).

[muawiyah]

Could be ~ now, prove that they’re different guys ~ (aside, thanks ~ different name ~ but the principle is the same ~ sometimes a higher Catholic official or official body will decide someone is temporarily suspended from speaking for the church and subordinate bodies and affiliates are supposed to conform).

[Alex Murphy]

That should have read

"Voris WASN'T accused of messing around with up to 8 women."

I don't think you could find eight women who are attracted to a guy with thinks a dead weasal can be passed off as a hairpiece, even on the Religion Forum.

[Alex Murphy]

Could be ~ now, prove that they’re different guys

Are you suggesting Voris' hairpiece and Corapi's goatee are just different disguises worn by the same individual?

[muawiyah]

That looks like that other Italian guy, what's his name, Gaddafi?

WOW ~ they've got Moslems infiltrating the priesthood ~ now who'd a thunk that one.

[Campion]

They’re different guys. However, Michael Voris has stolen Fr. Corapi’s hair and wears it in addition to his own.

[papertyger]

A school spokeswoman would not elaborate on what views were at issue, but the diocese described its objections to comments made by Voris in Internet videos that "certainly can be interpreted as being insensitive to people of other faiths." "The Catholic church teaches us to respect all people, regardless of their faith tradition,"

No doubt they got bent out of shape when Voris recently reminded his viewers that "our separated brethren" are not dissenters: they are heretics.

[Lorica]

So, after the juvenile hair diversions, how about it?

What’s your issue with Voris that’s big enough to search for articles about him?

Why do you put credence into a quote by the NYT?

What do you think about his attempt to shine a line on Catholic dissenters? His pro-life stance?

Anything?

Hello?

Or just silly hair jokes?

[Alex Murphy]

There's no question that he said it, even though it's old news (he said it last August). I'm just concerned there are blogs out there with names like The Catholic Fascist that say things like this, in agreement with Voris:

"Our democratic system will end in self-destruction because democracy is DOOMED to failure. It stupidly gives the ignorant and the self-absorbed (like liberals) the “right” to vote, when in TRUE REALITY the only possible way we can sustain a voting system is to allow only virtuous Catholics to vote."

[Antoninus]

The real irony here is that the bishop is using his power as prince of his diocese to censure Voris at least in part for upholding the right of princes to do exactly that.

[Antoninus]

I feel a little sorry for the anti-Catholics on FR. They almost all come from such small sects that they can not appreciate the complexity of an institution like the Catholic Church with over 1 billion adherents worldwide. In order to wrap their heads around it, they need to imagine it as some sort of monolithic conspiracy like the Masons or the Illuminati when nothing could be further from the truth.

Of course, that assumes that they are really trying to understand it at all. If you ask me, some of them are here only to keep Catholics and Protestants at each others' throats so that they don't unite behind common political agendas that they agree on.

[Lorica]

In order to wrap their heads around it, they need to imagine it as some sort of monolithic conspiracy like the Masons or the Illuminati when nothing could be further from the truth.

Ha! Obviously, you haven't been keeping up with Dan Brown like they have.

Of course, that assumes that they are really trying to understand it at all. If you ask me, some of them are here only to keep Catholics and Protestants at each others' throats so that they don't unite behind common political agendas that they agree on.

There are only a handful of them...I think they drove off a lot of the more thoughtful non-Catholics who didn't share their antagonism.

[Running On Empty]

“There are only a handful of them. I think they drove off a lot of the more thoughtful non-Catholics who didn’t share their antagonism”.

I also think this has happened. And it seems to be much more noticeable in the recent two years. Many of the anti-Catholic threads are now pretty much dominated by that handful of posters.

I don’t think that antagonistic attitude will get many followers

“We avoid giving anyone offense so that our ministry may not be blamed” 2Cor:6:3

A good scriptural admonition to consider.

[Hacksaw]

What’s your issue with Voris that’s big enough to search for articles about him?

People who are always tearing down another faith but never have anything to say about their own speak for themselves.

[Lorica]

Many of the anti-Catholic threads are now pretty much dominated by that handful of posters.

At least we know what to expect when we see who's posted a thread about Catholic news. I always look at the source from which it's posted, too.