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| Classic Villains Abound |
.- Michael Voris, the founder and host of RealCatholicTV, says he was completely unaware of recently discovered troubles within his organization, involving a staff apologist's sexually explicit writings, and his nonprofit corporation's loss of legal status two years ago.
“I don't know what the issue is on any of this stuff,” said Voris, who is currently in Spain promoting his unofficial “No Bull in Madrid” meetings during World Youth Day.
Voris told CNA on August 16 that he had “no idea” his nonprofit corporation St. Micheal's Media had been automatically dissolved in 2009 after failing to file records with the state for two years. An official at the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs confirmed on August 10 that Voris' nonprofit was “no longer registered and in good standing with the State of Michigan.”
Update: even Deacon's Bench and the Anchoress are defending Voris and noting the timing of the news, coinciding with WYD in Spain. But will Mark Shea be as sympathetic and understanding? [He's said he's addressing the issue on his blog, today.] There was also an apology posted at Deacon's Bench by Voris' Staff Apologist, Simon Rafe, on his Blog:
I regret writing the things in question and I have sought forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation. I humbly ask forgiveness from anyone who might have read the materials and been led to sin and those who are or were scandalized by reading them or hearing that I wrote them.
Although it is clearly the case writing material which is a near occasion of sin is wrong for any person, the matter of scandal is a serious one and I realize this. I apologize for having scandalized the faithful in any regard.
I do not, under any circumstances, seek to justify what I did or avoid responsibility. I did things which were wrong. I have done all in my power to rectify them (seeking forgiveness in confession, removing the material in question so it is not available for people to read and be tempted by). I did something which was wrong, and I am solely responsible for it.
H/t: Tom at AQ
35 comments:
It was only a matter of time before Voris' skeletons literally tumbled out of the closet.....I wonder what else will now be revealed about him and his merry band of lunatics....Is it true that some of his staffers actually live in his home? Is Simon one of them? The statement about being a 501(c)3 company is STILL up on his website even after the fact was explicitly told to Voris that he is no longer in good standing with the State of Michigan. I hope he is fully investigated and his organization is required to pay back taxes on their donations received. This will certainly cause tax headaches for anybody who, based on the false info on Voris' website, has taken deductions on their personal tax forms for money sent to Voris. Those people need to be notified immediately. This whole thing is starting to stink…I wonder what else Voris “isn’t aware” of.
The only thing that stinks are the dissident clergy who've been trying to attack Voris and Father Z.
It's pretty clear that there are some screaming ninnies whose cherished vice has been thought ill of.
It also looks as if someone is working overtime to find something, anything, to attack Voris for the work he does.
Hey, if you can't really prove the falsity of anything he says, you can always attack him personally.
As Tancred said, all the "right types" hate Voris. This is a tempest in the tiniest of teapots, and no, his staffers don't live at his home, you calumniate.
The tax issue in question is about the a certain form, which was only valid for a certain period of time, expiring. It will take about 5 minutes to complete the form and re-submit. The staffer who wrote silly and questionable things has already left his position. So, your dreams of great problems being caused for RCTV won't come true. But I'm certain those who despise orthodoxy will continue in their efforts to make sure all well known, faithful Catholics are discredited.
There is much more to come on Voris, just wait.
"There is much more to come on Voris, just wait"
tittered the malevolent one with a girlish trill in his laugh.
Voris messed up. Period. It's no sin to point that out, however I'm guessing that those who dare to point it out are anathema.
No, you're just swallowing camels and chasing gnats on behalf of a disordered inclination.
Whatever gets you through the night. :-)
All you've got at this point is an administrative oversight and a human resources gaff which has been addressed, there's nothing more to it, but if you want to fall on your collective swords for this, be my guest.
It's fairly comical to watch the rabid accusations and flights of fancy coming from the ecclesiastical hairdressers union.
I've seen two accusations:
1. Financial discrepancies dating back two years
2. Employing someone in a leadership position whose personal pursuits directly contradict the stated mission of the business
Are there more about which I am unaware?
There is more to "come out" on Voris, just wait.
Oh no, what next, wearing a mauve tie with a teal sport coat?
"1. Financial discrepancies dating back two years"
So you say, but failing to apply for a tax-exempt status doesn't amount to much, at least, not as much as pretending to be Catholic and benefiting financially from it like so many Franciscans regularly do these days.
"2. Employing someone in a leadership position whose personal pursuits directly contradict the stated mission of the business"
You've obviously never heard of the Jesuits. They make a regular habit of doing that.
1. Collecting donations for two years claiming a non-existing tax exemption is a serious matter.
2. Apples and oranged. The Society of Jesus is a canonically-recognized religious order of men. Voris operates a private business.
If you try to make it a serious matter, that doesn't mean anyone's going to agree with you.
Your second point doesn't help much. Too many people have seen what canonically recognized Jesuits and others, like yourself, say and do with that official status.
You're leading the charge and crying for blood because he's put his finger on the wound.
Guh, you misconstrue me intentionally. I don't want blood- I want accountability. Reckoning Day has come.
You want blood. Thom SFO writes:
"Gay Pride, then, is not sinful pride. This sort of pride is the antonym of shame, not humility. Shame has been used for centuries to control and oppress gay people. Therefore "Gay Pride" is liberation from that oppression, and not the vice of superbia."
When all else fails, change the subject. Good day to you.
Yes, you just don't like Voris' Catholic position on things like homosexuality. That's why you're overreacting to insignificant details and crying for "justice".
Even if you destroyed Voris personally and socially, it wouldn't heal the scandal you've caused by your adulation for the vice of Sodomy.
Moreover, the appalling things you've written in your blog are far worse than anything you've accused Voris of doing.
Mr Curnutte:
It's often hard to be a Catholic, I mean to actually act like a Catholic, so I will start by saying that I've visited your blog and read some illuminating posts of yours. So I must perforce tell you, as one Catholic to another: you are a very seriously troubled man, and, as my penny catechism teaches, if you don't amend your life you will not see God when you die; you will, instead, suffer the eternal torments.
That is a difficult and a horrible thing to say to someone; it is a horrible thing to have happen to you or to me or to anyone. If you are not yourself committing this most unnamable of perversions, sins that cry to Heaven for vengeance, then you are at the very least encouraging others to continue in their buggery with what you write on your blog. I ask you to stop what you are doing and try to undo, somehow, the damage that has been done to the souls who have read your words. And if you yourself are practicing the unnatural vice of sodomy then you must stop committing that unspeakable mortal sin forthwith. And if the Order you are in is already corrupt on this point and others you must leave that order for the good of your eternal soul.
Editor Tancred has pointed out to you very clearly where you are going wrong and I can only add my poor thoughts to that.
It's a pity that we couldn't continue the discussion about the merits of the accusations at hand. Oh well.
Mark Shea will be defending Voris and company in tomorrow's NCRegister (8-19-2011) blog post titled: "In Defense of Michael Voris and Simon Rafe"
Check it out:
http://markshea.blogspot.com/2011/08/everybody-is-writing-me.html
Voris rubs people the wrong way, but that doesn't mean he's wrong about the message.
I enjoy his analysis and he is nearly correct in utilizing the appropriate adjectives and adverbs in his webcasts.
"It's a pity that we couldn't continue the discussion about the merits of the accusations at hand. Oh well. "
It's a pity that you feel driven to disparage Micheal Voris without any significant criticisms.
So an employer is responsible for what his employee does in private?
A President and CEO is liable when his company misrepresents itself as non-profit when in fact it hasn't been for TWO years.
The statement about being a 501(c)3 company is STILL up on his website even after the fact was explicitly told to Voris that he is no longer in good standing with the State of Michigan.
501(c)3 is a federal designation, which is separate from the State of Michigan reporting requirements. "Automatic dissolution" occurs all the time when state reports are not filed on time - you just file the report, pay a late filing penalty, and you are magically back in business. It hardly shows any bad intent, simply sloppy recordkeeping.
1. Collecting donations for two years claiming a non-existing tax exemption is a serious matter.
As explained above, FEDERAL tax exempt status is a separate question from failing to maintain STATE level reporting requirements. Before losing the federal exempt status, he would have the opportunity to remedy the state snafu, which explained above is rather simple in most jurisdictions.
c matt
A President and CEO is liable when his company misrepresents itself as non-profit when in fact it hasn't been for TWO years.
Depending upon the law of the jursidiction, and the specific facts of the case (eg, level of knowledge of the Pres/CEO, reasonable business judgment used in relying upon the representations of others, etc.), that may or may not be the case.
c matt
Thanks c matt, I was tooling around doing my own research and found out, just as I'd thought, that this was a relatively insignificant matter that some people have blown out of proportion for the sake of an agenda all their own.
But I ask anyone what's worse. Collecting a paycheck from an organization that claims to be Catholic while saying you're a Catholic but not really agreeing with Catholic teaching on sexual mores, or having some administrative issues which caused an insignificant oversight?
Perhaps it's part of the mental problem some people have with their sexuality that cause them to make mountains out of molehills and parade around like they do on behalf of what I can only describe as the basest kind of depravity.
Having said all that, I do not find these accusations particularly disturbing at the moment. They seem a little nitpicky. However, that does not mean something else may not be there as we saw with the Corapi incident. But I'll wait until (if ever) something more substantial pops up to get all worked up about it.
c matt
Catholic News Agency hasn't filed its tax exempt status in four years: Hmmm…. I’m no Voris defender, but this is nothing but cheapshot journalism, so let’s see:
Catholic News Agency claims to be a 501(c)3 based in Englewood, CO, yet there is no record of them under that name or ACI Prensa in Colorado. In addition, there is no record of either one on any charity watchdog site, such as GuideStar or Charity Navigator.
A search for their address on Google turns up two other Catholic organizations apparently located in the same building: Christ in the City Missionaries and Association for Catholic Info.
No business records exist for Christ in the City Missionaries either, but they do exist for Association for Catholic Info.
A man by the name of Jorge Luna incorporated AfCI and his name appears on several AfCI documents. His name also appears several times on the Catholic News Agency website, so they appear to be connected.
http://www.google.com/search?q=jorge+luna+site:www.catholicnewsagency.com&qscrl=1
And what do you know!!! Lo and behold…
AfCI failed FOUR YEARS IN A ROW to file its annual report with the state of Colorado. It’s all right there on the State of Colorado’s website:
http://bit.ly/oTngLc
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/mark-shea/in-defense-of-michael-voris-and-simon-rafe/#ixzz1VUhth5fd
That was courtesy of JC Kapla
Now that M. Voris is taking positive action on these issues will CNA, CNS and other Catholic news outlets now please move the spotlight on to U.S. Catholic Bishops? The RC Bishops in America have paid out $1.2 billion (of hard-earned money donated by the laity) in settlements to victims of RC priest sex abuse and at least 6 Diocese and 2 Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy as a result. Homoeroticism, transgenderism, greed, and corruption have spread like plagues in the Church and across our nation and who can deny that a majority of Americans are devoid of a sense of sin? Catholic politicians in America mislead the public by misrepresenting the Faith in word and deed on a regular basis. Only a tiny fraction of Catholics participate in weekly Mass and monthly Reconciliation--check the data for yourselves! Due to an unresponsive RC Hierarchy, the laity, prompted by a love of Jesus and concern for the Church, exposed a corrupt “homosexual superculture” among priests in the Archdiocese of Miami, a "gay" culture that’s growing among clergy that receives support from members of the hierarchy as well as from those directly involved in the training of priests, as well as Church sponsored “gay” masses throughout the nation--we are talking about “chosen” and consecrated souls handpicked by Jesus to be His shepherds on earth! How is this possible? The RC Faith is being passed on to younger generations in fewer and fewer numbers. Disturbing trends in parishes are on the rise with many becoming increasingly unbalanced: Majorities of elderly filling pews but only small fractions of youth participating in masses. When the dwindling number of priests, religious, and laity of new generations are taught the catechism they are increasingly receiving a weak and distorted version of the RC Faith. Consequently, the lack of reverence during Mass and dwindling mass attendance is so deeply rooted and widespread it is the norm now and no longer the exception. Catholics are supporting and/or practicing greed, violence, materialism, secularism, contraception, abortion, stem cell research, and disordered sex practices at unprecedented levels--check out the data from several reputable research institutes for yourselves!
Yet, most of our RC Bishops remain silent and unresponsive during a time when their bold leadership is needed the most. Catholic news sources would you now please put the spotlight on RC Bishops so that they will be prompted to take positive action too. Hopefully RC Bishops turn away from silence, inaction or even blatant coverups and start to follow Voris’ example and respond to very unpleasant revelations of infidelity within the Church by thoroughly investigating turpitude, addressing these matters publicly, and taking corrective action. Jesus Christ calls the Church Militant to be bold defenders of the faith in thought, word, deed and prayer. Jesus called RC Bishops to be fearless generals on the battlefield leading us in spiritual warfare against “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Each and every RC Bishop must live up to that calling and for those unable the Pope needs to replace them by Bishops who will. Preventing the loss of souls to satan and hell demands nothing less.
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