Vatican spokesman denies threat to sue blogger

March 05, 2015

A Vatican spokesman has denied that he threatened to sue a Canadian blogger for defamatory statements.

Father Thomas Rosica, a Canadian television personality who works with the Vatican press office, has issued a statement claiming that “it was never my intention to sue” the blogger, David Domet, who had posted a number of inflammatory claims against the priest. Domet repeatedly charged that Father Rosica was working to change Catholic doctrine regarding marriage and the family.

Domet had received a letter in February from a lawyer representing Father Rosica, who said that the claims posted on his Vox Cantoris blog were “libelous” and “actionable in law.” The lawyer’s letter instructed Domet to remove the objectionable material and post an apology to Father Rosica, or “we will seek instructions to commence an action against you.”

Nevertheless Father Rosica said that the lawyer’s letter was intended only as a “cease and desist” message. “No lawsuit was ever launched against the blogger!” he said, adding: “The matter is now closed.”

Father Rosica said that he had been urged to take action in response to the “continuous false, slanderous statements of a blogger over a long period of time that resulted in gross distortion, misinformation, many phone calls, letters and clear threats from callers based on the repeated false information contained in the blog.” However, the news that his lawyer had threatened legal action led to an outpouring of criticism for Father Rosica and support for the embattled blogger.

 

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Further information:

• A Message from Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB (Salt and Light)