The Diocese of Scranton has BANNED (and exposed) Michael Voris from speaking at any of its facilities! According to their website,
The Diocese of Scranton has determined that Mr. Voris will not be allowed to speak in a Diocesan or parish facility. After these engagements were scheduled, the Diocese became aware of concerns about this individual’s views regarding other religious groups. In videos posted on the Internet, Mr. Voris makes comments 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.
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.
I find it funny that the Diocese would use the reason of he is “insensitive to people of other faiths” as the reason in this notification. I’ll be charitable and think that the diocese wanted to “play it low” here and note only one reason to exclude Voris in order to not cause controversy or isolate Catholics.
The local blogger “The Rockin Traddy” who levied personal attacks against me in December of 2009 and photoshopped a picture of me with the caption “LOSER” because of my complaint that led to the removal of the illuminated and prominent nativity scene on government property that wasn’t part of a display of thematic unity had the following to say about this announcement,
That’s apparently the Bambera Doctrine. No opposition to modernism, progressivism, or the liberal agenda will be tolerated. But if you’re abortion lovin’ Senator Bobby Casey, you are certainly welcome in the Cathedral to take Communion right under Bambera’s nose, though.
This is an absolute outrage! Michael Voris stands with the true Magisterium of the Church and to blacklist him from speaking throughout the entire Diocese is a disgrace.
It shows us just how scared these modernists are of the truth and the lengths this new Bishop will go to to maintain the status quo.
More to follow…
A local newspaper published a story regarding Voris’ ban,
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.
llegere@timesshamrock.com
Some other Catholics are quite angry…and they’ve left a phone number to call if you have any questions. From Traddy’s blog:
Response to Diocese of Scranton’s Banning of Michael Voris:
As faithful Catholics who respect and value Church authority and the virtue of obedience, we are both shocked and saddened that such a short-sighted mindset has afflicted our local Church leadership. In a day when diversity is prized above all, we stand in stunned amazement that our leaders cannot read the signs of the times and would not extend a pastoral welcome of tolerance, inclusiveness and justice to Mr. Voris.
Michael Voris is an accomplished Catholic layman, a multiple Emmy Award winning journalist who is confident and comfortable in communicating the truths of our Catholic Faith. He has spoken in dozens and dozens of Church locations all around the world, where he has been warmly received by both bishops and laity alike.
Our events were open to all as we simply wanted to celebrate our Catholic Faith. Now, because of a refusal on the part of Catholic College Marywood to subscribe to the tenets of academic freedom, and a glaring amount of intolerance and prejudice on the part of diocesan leaders, we are being forced to abandon our Catholic “home” properties, not to mention the injustice done to Michael Voris’ character. We ask Bishop Bambera to enter into dialogue with us regarding this matter.
Because Michael Voris is an orthodox Catholic, faithful to the Magesterium and all the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church, it would be a shame for us to re-schedule our events at a secular site. However, thanks to the publicity being generated by the actions of those who operate out of fear and rash judgments, we would look forward to an even more successful event with larger crowds than originally planned.
The re-scheduled events will be posted as soon as they are finalized. For more information and questions you may contact Paul and Kristen Ciaccia at … learnthefaith@yahoo.com.