Former Vatican media personality Father Thomas Rosica has been accused of sexually assaulting a priest in Canada and consequently has had his priestly duties suspended while the lawsuit proceeds through the courts.
The accusation goes back more than 20 years ago. Fr Rosica, a member of the Congregation of Saint Basil (Basilian Fathers), first rose to prominence running media operations during Pope St John Paul II’s 2002 visit to Canada for World Youth Day 2002.
He later founded <em>Salt+Light Television</em> in 2003 and was appointed a consulter to the Pontifical Council for Social Communication in 2009, <a href="https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2024/08/canadian-priest-thomas-rosica-accused-of-sexual-assault-in-lawsuit"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reports</mark></a> <em>Crux</em>. He was a Vatican spokesman during the 2013 Papal Conclave that elected Pope Francis and a Vatican media advisor for the 2008 and 2018 Synods of Bishops.
The news website <em>The Pillar</em> <a href="https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/rosica-faces-sexual-assault-lawsuit"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reported</mark></a> that a lawsuit filed in March 2024 in the Canadian province of Ontario stated that Rosica developed a mentoring relationship with a newly ordained Canadian priest in the late 1990s, while the priest was in graduate studies.
<em>The Pillar </em>said the complaint alleges that Rosica developed a “close personal relationship” of “authority and trust” with the younger priest who was invited to assist in preparations for the 2002 World Youth Day.<br><br>The Congregation of St Basil removed Fr Rosica’s faculties for priestly ministry in March at the time of the lawsuit, according to documents reviewed by <em>The Pillar</em>.
The suit alleges that Rosica initially “made unwanted physical contact with the plaintiff, including long hugs and touching the plaintiff’s body and arms", then, in the summer of 2000, and over the next several months, Rosica exposed himself and repeatedly “groped and fondled” the other priest.
<em>The Pillar</em> reports that the plaintiff’s lawsuit also charges that Rosica’s religious order, the Congregation of St Basil, failed to properly supervise Rosica, and ignored other issues which arose when he was a seminarian, and during his priesthood.
The suit alleges that the order knew Rosica had been accused of acting inappropriately with other young men, before his alleged relationship with the plaintiff. It charged that in some of Rosica’s assignments, the priest had been the subject of complaints “about his actions with young males", but the order “took no steps to stop the behaviour or to protect the Plaintiff, and instead, took steps to attempt to cover-up the behaviour".<br><br>In a countersuit, Fr Rosica denies “that he had a close personal relationship with the plaintiff in any capacity, and denies he had any control or influence over him, or that he preyed upon him or sexually abused him,"<mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"> <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/fr-thomas-rosica-accused-of-sexual-assault-loses-priestly-faculties-report/">reports</a></mark> <em>LifeSiteNews</em>. It notes that Fr Rosica has also argued that the case should not be tried in Canadian courts but addressed through the Church.
“Fr Rosica pleads the Court has no jurisdiction over the subject matter of this dispute as the Plaintiff and Fr Rosica are ordained priests and the alleged assaults occurred while they were engaged in duties on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church. Any such complaints or allegations would be governed by Canon Law. The court should defer to the ecclesiastical court and its application of Canon Law,” the countersuit statement says.
It is doubtful the Canadian court system would defer to the Catholic ecclesiastical court in a case alleging sexual abuse, <em>Crux</em> reports.
Rosica first faced controversy after being accused of plagiarism in 2019, which forced him to resign from <em>Salt+Light Television</em>. It was discovered that Rosica had plagiarised written material for over 30 years and had claimed academic honours he did not have, <em>LifeSiteNews</em> reports.
The Jesuits of Canada, for whom Fr Rosica gave retreats at their spirituality centre in Ontario, have issued a press release confirming that Rosica may not be associated with any of their apostolates until his case is resolved:
“The Jesuits of Canada remain steadfast in our commitment to the safety and protection of minors and vulnerable adults. Our rigorous safety protocols are applied uniformly to all individuals, including visiting clergy and collaborators.
“In response to the recent civil lawsuit involving Father Thomas Rosica, CSB and in accordance with our established procedures, he can no longer be associated with any ministry connected to our Jesuit apostolates until these legal and ecclesial matters are resolved.”<br><br><em>Photo: Fr Thomas Rosica (Credit: Chris Adamczyk/Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation.)</em>
