Fr. Z’s thoughts on Michael Voris’ public statement

Michael Voris recently released a public statement about his past and about his conversion.

I don’t entirely understand the circumstances or timing of this statement.

My thoughts.

We constantly pray for sinners to convert and we say we are happy when they do!

I am impressed with Michael’s courage in making a public statement.   I hope that others who carry the terrible burden of certain attractions will take his example to heart and make changes in their lives whatever the sacrifice that might entail.

Michael clearly loves the Church and is laying it all on the line.  Even when I disagree with either a position he takes (he’s wrong about fulfilling your Mass obligation at an SSPX chapel) or the style of its expression (his public tone about some figures such as Card. Dolan has been too ascerbic whatever the issue he might raise), he deserves continued attention and support both in prayer and for his work.

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51 Comments

  1. Derek Brown says:

    I imagine there may have been some amount of trepidation when Michael released this video. I hope he feels relief in the wake of it. As far as I’m concerned, he owed no one a detailed public confession. Now that he did so, in the face of pressure(real or perceived), he has more credibility in my book.
    If anyone wants to see a heartening outpouring of Catholic charity, go to the combox of this Vortex episode. As of right now, there are 922 comments and counting. Every single one that I have read is an expression of love, gratitude, consolation, and camaraderie.
    If my wife and I weren’t already Church Militant supporters, I would sign up today.

  2. JKnott says:

    Thank you Father for addressing this.
    I think it took courage and humility to reveal these details.
    Michael does love the Church and his faith and this shows it. Could not have been easy.
    Holy Mother Church allows for the utmost confidentiality with regard to our confessions. And God forgives and forgets. I certainly hope that no member of any diocese will use these forgiven sins to attack Voris or to stop his apostolate.
    Luke 15:7
    “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

  3. GAK says:

    I agree that he needs support in prayer and also for the good in his work.

    At the same time, I am wary of anyone who seems to perpetually see himself (or herself) as under attack. He could have made his announcement without alleging the Archdiocese of NY was trying to smear him. That’s not the kind of allegation you make UNLESS you have iron clad proof AND you are willing to release the proof. Otherwise, it sounds like paranoia, and borderline narcissism. He would do better service to his own work if he dialed back his ego, in my opinion. He loses a lot of listeners due to his style. His good work loses credibility due to his style, I think.

  4. GAK says:

    Another thought. Sometimes Catholics need to take a tip from the corporate world. General practice in the corporate world is to put up or shut up. If you have a serious allegation, you come out swinging and prove it. Otherwise, you are going to get sued. Unfortunately, many times Catholics in the public eye seem to think it’s acceptable to level grave allegations at each other without getting into specifics. The attitude is, if you trust me, you’ll believe what I allege. I find that approach rather cowardly. Either prove it or keep quiet. If you have some evidence, but not enough, take the high road.

    Michael Voris could have simply come out with his statement without making vague yet extreme allegations. He should have either taken it to level 10 against the Archdiocese of NY, with proof, or refrained from mentioning that aspect at all.

    I hope he will find personal relief in his announcement. I feel compassion for him that his past is coming to light, especially b/c I’m sure some will be nasty to him about it, and that’s not right. He needs prayers & kindness regarding his past.

    At the same time, he did himself a disservice by how he rolled his announcement out.

  5. Elizabeth D says:

    It makes him a more sympathetic and comprehensible figure, in a good way. I have definitely been troubled by some of his attitudes at times. This statement is definitely courageous. The identity of being “a penitent” is not something that is really understood and respected by all in today’s world or even in the Church really. The danger is that people would interpret by a misguided secular way of thinking “oh, he is gay”. But to be publicly and explicitly penitent for grave sins of one’s past life, to live a penitential life, and be a very loving witness to the reality of the great mercy of God precisely through that can give glory to God even while it may feel totally unglorious to the penitent. Yet, it’s all true that God transforms us if we let Him and Michael is saying that loud and clear. Part of the point, I think, is that he is not “gay”; his identity and dignity is of a man created and restored by God.

    This is Michael Voris’ contribution to the Year of Mercy. As good a reason for the timing, as any.

  6. anilwang says:

    GAK says: “He could have made his announcement without alleging the Archdiocese of NY was trying to smear him…. He loses a lot of listeners due to his style. His good work loses credibility due to his style, I think.”

    Well considering that there have already been several notable cases where the gay lobby has bullied bishops and priests into silence or outright acceptance of evil, I disagree. For the protection of the clergy such networks need to be outed. Priests and bishops sometimes make mistakes (not necessarily of a sexual nature) early in their careers (or even before their entry into the priesthood) and the good ones confess to their superiors, accept whatever penalty is given, and try to spend the rest of their careers to make up for those mistakes. The opportunists rarely target the bad priests. Blackmail and detraction are both disgusting are sins against the 8th commandment.

    As for his style. Undoubtedly true. But least you get too comfortable recognize that the majority of the Church fathers and Jesus himself could get quite abrasive at times. Abrasiveness has its place. And also recognize that no one person can please everyone. For every person that is turned off by his style, there are at least as many who say “finally, someone who is willing to tell it as it is within the Catholic Church….that puts away any thought about going sedevacantist….I can now stay and fight for the Church rather than slowly slip into agnosticism”.

    So recognize that the Vortex is not all Mr Voris produces and his style is notably Catholicism affirming rather than against any particular person. For instance, have a listen to the One True Faith podcasts ( http://www.theonetruefaith.tv/index.php?nav=03&content=20 ).

  7. Scott Woltze says:

    I’m with Elizabeth D. This gives him more credibility and a more sympathetic hearing. This may be yet another case of God bringing good from evil (assuming the snooping allegations are true).

    Voris is at his best when he spoke of the catastrophic effects of mortal sin–even in this life–and the amazing regeneration through life in Christ. Let’s hope we hear more of that. It’s really the Gospel in a nutshell.

  8. CradleRevert says:

    “Michael Voris recently released a public statement about his past and about his conversion.

    I don’t entirely understand the circumstances or timing of this statement.”

    From what he says towards the beginning of the video, it sounds like he wanted to release the information about his past on his own terms before he was beaten to the punch.

  9. gracie says:

    The only ones who will throw stones at him are those who have agendas of their own.

  10. Because of a couple comments, above, and a couple in my queue already (from some who are on the moderation list) I am imposing comment moderation on this entry.

    Folks… really?

  11. Ben Kenobi says:

    First off, I don’t think he owed anyone a public confession. “Publish and perish” is really the best way to go. If they are truly willing to publish intimate details of his life, then Michael can say, “as x has said, and I confirm”, and then point out that they *were* willing to smear him for their benefit. I don’t doubt that someone tried to blackmail him over this, particularly concerning his mission.

    That being said, I want to second the penitential lives comment. Many folks coming into Catholicism have much they have repented *from*, that they wish to stay far away. Generally if we’re ‘rigid’ we are rigid… for a reason, especially if we’re converts who have come over from somewhere else. it can be enlightening to ask someone *why*.

  12. Papabile says:

    People have definitely been gathering personal information on him. And, I am certain, from speaking to certain people in that diocese that what he alleges is absolutely true. They were preparing a calumnious hit piece on him.

    While I understand that some might consider his approach off-putting, I find it refreshing. It wasn’t Jerry Falwell’s approach. It was, “I am a fallen man, as are we all, and only the Sacraments can save us.” It was authentically Catholic.

    If I were him, I would be tempted to respond with a 20K oppo piece done by a professional oppo guy on the comms people who was doing some of these inquiries. Of course he’s not me, and seems to be more concerned with evangelizing than with getting even.

  13. Adeodataomnia says:

    I think this a perfect opportunity to shower Voris with Christian Charity, to embrace him as a brother sinner, who is striving to follow Christ like the rest of us. He had a past entirely his own. Christ offers him a future, as he does to all of us who confess his name, repenting of our sins, trusting in his infinite mercy.

    I would understand why he would want to keep his private affairs private, granted that they are so painful and liable to create a breeding ground for blackmail. At the same time, we ought not to take the role of Satan, the accuser, and throw forgiven and repented of sins of years past at him. If God justifies him, who are we to condemn him? And is he trying, in the present, to better Holy Mother Church, according to the lights he has? Yes.

    We can send an important message to anyone who wants to destroy the truth and light of the Gospel: that we know that our leaders, and we ourselves, lay and clergy, may be flawed, in some cases scandalously so (see Sts. Peter, Paul, Augustine, etc.). Yet we know that still, even now, God chooses the weak. Sometimes I believe that in God’s providence, he allows a curtain to be lifted over these public figures, so that the power of grace may be made manifest, the humility of the vessel be reinforced, and our awe of the goodness of God may increase. That is my prayer for the outcome of these revelations. I was never a fan of Michael Voris personally, or of his style. But he is a brother, and he always has been. He deserves our fraternal support and prayer.

  14. Papabile says:

    I want to make one modification. When I said “calumnious hit piece”, what I meant was a piece that would be leaked out to sources who would use information in it. I was not suggesting a formal article or anything like that.

  15. Joseph-Mary says:

    There are many in very public life who take ‘pride’ in the sins that Michael has had to now reveal so that we hear it from him instead of someone trying to blackmail or besmirch him. He is speaking of things 20 years ago when he was spiritually lost. I, too, lived in mortal sin during my early years; had I died during that time, my salvation was not assured. I am a different person now. So is Michael Voris.

  16. Patti Day says:

    Thank God we don’t need to publicly proclaim our sins in order to obtain mercy. If we did, the confession lines would be shorter than they are.

  17. Geoffrey says:

    GAK says: “He could have made his announcement without alleging the Archdiocese of NY was trying to smear him…. He loses a lot of listeners due to his style. His good work loses credibility due to his style, I think.”

    I wholeheartedly agree. Mr. Voris reminds me of the Catholic version of Donald Trump.

    I am also not a fan of this trend in society to air one’s dirty laundry before the masses. If it helps others in similar situations to change their lives, then Deo gratias, I suppose.

  18. Peter Stuart says:

    I’m not Voris’s biggest fan by a long shot. But as an SSA Catholic, struggling to be faithful (not always succeeding) I can kind of imagine the tightrope he has to walk. Whether his particular suspicions are true or not, there’s got to be a reason why New Ways Ministry got recognition at the Synods and Courage Apostolate didn’t. God help us, and Mary protect us!

  19. Adaquano says:

    I respect Michael Voris and the crew at CM for their zeal of teaching and defending the faith. At times I think Fr. Z is right about his need to tone down some of his expressions, but it is never done with malcontent. As a revert myself and one that still finds himself batteling with old temptations I welcomed his confession gladly and applaud his courage. His style may not work for everyone but it has helped many people as well.

  20. iamlucky13 says:

    I can’t imagine the Archdiocese of NY would deliberately invade the privacy of an individual with the intention to publicly shame them. Something else must be going on. I could more readily believe some individuals with ties to the archdiocese might, but on their on their own initiative.

    That’s hardly of real importance, however. Regardless of why he chose to open up about his past, that had to be a very challenging statement to make, and I can only imagine he deliberated extensively about whether or not to do so. I’m not a fan of Voris, but whatever his reasons, I’m impressed that he was able to talk this matter openly, and I agree that his story could potentially be a significant inspiration to others who struggle with their identity or attractions and might think the teachings of the Church are too hard to accept.

    This creates an odd situation. How will those on the “progressive” side who dislike Mr. Voris respond? If I had to guess, I wouldn’t expect there to be many who praise his courage in “coming out,” and still fewer who compliment him for changing his lifestyle. This won’t be a case of “if that’s what is right for you, we should celebrate your devotion to chastity.” It seems more likely that they’ll find some way to judge him for his past, despite supposedly abhorring judgement.

    I suspect he needs prayers even more after his public confession than he did before.

  21. Anthony says:

    His past behavior is between himself and God. That’s it. Period. Finito.

    While I believe that he has sincerely repented from his past behavior and has been forgiven by Our Lord, it is an unfortunate reality that many people do not exhibit the same level of forgiveness.

    Public revelations of this sort are often because of impending third-party action.

    At that point, it is always better to tell the truth and CONTROL the story than to have someone tell the truth for you and RELINQUISH control.

    A charitable reaction would be best. Let’s see if that’s what happens…. (Hint: I won’t be holding my breath waiting for it…)

  22. Cincinnati Priest says:

    I hope that some good comes out of this. In my book, Mr. Voris certainly has made a very significant contribution in holding our bishops’ feet to the fire in their failures to help bring positive change to the Church, even if he does IMHO cross the line into uncharity on many occasions.

    He certainly seems humbled in this video, so I hope that he keeps his “edge” in calling a spade a spade regarding the “Church of Nice” while at the same time becoming somewhat more merciful in tone.

    I do have one fear on this. As a diversionary (and intimidating) tacting, the homosexual lobby often makes the claim that those who oppose homosexual acts forcefully only do so because they are secretly “gay” themselves. This will (unfortunately) only add fuel to that fire, and cast doubt on those heterosexuals who are in fact opposing homosexual acts merely because they realize how spiritually (and usually physiologically) damaging it is to those who engage in the “lifestyle”.

  23. tcreek says:

    In the past and on the Vortex, I have heard Michael Voris confess that he had been a great sinner in his youth but without the particulars. He had given credit for his conversion to his mother and his Blessed Mother.

  24. VexillaRegis says:

    Mr Voris has a special friend in Heaven, namely Mother Angelica. He wrote about her: “Mother has left this earth, but she has not left us. We must pray for her, and for her guidance in this next phase of battle, of war for the Church.” I think Mother is guiding Mr Voris now :).

  25. Kathleen10 says:

    It is unfortunate he felt he had to make such a personal statement. None of it is anybody’s business, but in his position he may very well be right, it was about to come out. Is it a secret that his apostolate has been diligently going after the NY diocese? I don’t think so. The days of thinking that church members are above retribution are long past, for me.
    He doesn’t have to say another word about it, but if he wants to, he should have more credibility with homosexuals, even though many of them will hate the message, some may listen and that would be great. I would love for his message to reach young people who may be confused. What good that might do, please God.
    It shouldn’t effect CMTV at all. The comments were very supportive, as they should be. We’re all sinners, many of us horrendous sinners, especially from our youth when we didn’t know any better. I wish I could say I did something wonderful in my life to counterbalance it a bit as he has.

  26. acardnal says:

    His story is nothing earth shattering. Sounds like so many of the “revert” stories I have often heard or read about. I support him and will pray for him.

  27. As a disabled veteran Bear, he can say it is a hard lesson to learn that old wounds can remain as disabilities, and you must decide where to put yourself in the fight, regardless of how fearless you are. As for the Archdiocese of New York, such a plot, if true, is grotesque beyond words, and a bigger story than Michael’s past.

  28. ThankyouB16 says:

    I would like to see the evidence Michael has, contra the claims of the diocese. Nevertheless, my view on this is that I will become a subscriber, soon, to CMTV…and one more word to Mr. Voris: “BRAVO!”

  29. jeffreyquick says:

    On the issue of “Put up or shut up”— Voris is by professional training a reporter. If he had details, he would have compromised his sources by revealing them. If you want news, you don’t throw your sources under the bus. So should he have kept quiet about the conspiracy? If he said what he did (which was necessary to derail any attack) without an explanation of why he was doing so, it would have looked narcissistic. If he had said or done nothing at all, he would have ceded control of the narrative. I’m quite willing to believe that some people in the A. of NY were digging up dirt against him. That’s different than the A. of NY digging dirt…which functionally means Timothy Dolan digging dirt. I don’t choose to believe that.

  30. Benedict Joseph says:

    Michael’s situation exhibits the scandalous comportment of some inhabitants of the ecclesiastical bubble. There is a current of vindictiveness in residence there stealthily employed whenever a threat, real or merely imagined, appears on the radar. Having witnessed and endured this facet of the clerical culture myself I have no doubt at all that the moves against him are all too real. It only surprises me that Michael Voris has not been targeted before.
    If all the clergy carrying the cross of SSA did so as Michael Voris, with discretion and fidelity to Scripture, Apostolic Tradition and the Magisterium, we would have a far more faithful witness to Christ in the current debacle. God reward Michael Voris.

  31. NBW says:

    I have a lot of respect for Mr. Voris. If someone in the Archdiocese of NY was trying to blackmail him, that’s really rich, coming from an archdiocese that promotes “mercy”. Perhaps they need to search their own souls and GO TO CONFESSION!

  32. RichR says:

    MV is trying to refocus the attention away from his past evils and toward God’s Mercy. Pope Francis and all kind-hearted confessors would be pleased. Michael is in my prayers.

  33. Manducat in the hat says:

    By releasing the statement when he did, he took the wind out of Dolan’s sails. A secondary effect was Voris epitomizing masculinity.

  34. jltuttle says:

    I watched the video. It was very powerful. I recommend that everyone watch it before they form an opinion one way or the other.

  35. Fr_Sotelo says:

    Public figures in the Church, either clerical or lay, are accountable before the faithful, especially when we take on the role of admonishing and fraternal correction of others in the Church. Our witness should be transparent, credible, and accountable. Along that vein, I’m glad Voris offered his testimony of sin and conversion. I think he should have rendered this witness sooner, as people expect of a credible “whistle blower” in the Church, that they blow the whistle on themselves first. From the humility of one’s own “Confessions” they then preach conversion to other sinners. Now that Michael has undertaken this step, I think the rest of the Church must pray for him, support him, and offer him the most honest evaluations of the future directions of his apostolate. The goal here is still the building up of the Mystical Body in the most edifying way. Where criticisms are needed from any lay group, let them be constructive and respectful of the rest of the Church, for no one should assume high perches of holiness without great trepidation.

  36. Father G says:

    The New York Archdiocese denies the allegation that it sought to smear Michael Voris: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2016/04/22/new-york-archdiocese-denies-allegation-that-it-sought-to-smear-michael-voris/

  37. Geoffrey says:

    I find it hard to believe that the Archdiocese of New York would do such a thing. Someone within the archdiocese, that’s another matter…

  38. dbgallup says:

    For Father G: what else could the archdiocese say? Admit to moral turpitude? When was the last time that ever happened? Then too, we have the reality of “plausible deniability.”

  39. Binker67 says:

    I’m sure Michael Voris knew that by talking about his past in this way and preempting any ‘outing’ by another person /persons know /unknown he would leave himself wide open to a denial by those said persons.
    Michael Voris. Thank you for your witness and courage. Thank you for proclaiming the truth of the Gospel and the Church’s Magisterial teaching.
    Having read many many responses to this on a lot of blogs etc it appears that stone throwers and pharisees appear to be in the minority.
    Well done RC’s
    God love you Michael Voris

  40. JabbaPapa says:

    When I first discovered the Vortex, I found that Michael Voris was wrong too often for it to be reliable, or even (as I eventually concluded) watchable as the neophyte orthodox Catholic that I was at the time. Too many doctrinal approximations, too much trumpeting of one perfectly orthodox position as if it somehow denied some different just as perfectly orthodox position.

    One does of course tend to naturally lack patience towards the liberals, but one must always be careful to remember that there is such a thing as an orthodox liberalism, ecclesially, defined by its essential and central adherence to the Truth of the Revelation as we have received it, rather than by whatever loopy revisionist fleshliness of sadly so many who define themselves as ‘c’atholic liberals in our time.

    One needs to realise that it was the liberals at the time of the Council of Trent that prevented the Catholic Church of our Lord the Christ of God submitting to the diabolic temptation of universal radical Gallicanism and ultra-monasticism.

    (the conservatives DID win a core liturgical victory at the time)

    Mr Voris IMO became a far better Catholic apologist, making far FAR fewer mistakes in his preaching, after a WYD event where he was politically prevented from providing coverage, and especially after he obtained his degree in Theology, almost concurrently.

    I am genuinely admirative of his public act of penitential confession — the Church can only rarely demand that sort of public confession, even though certain public sins do expect from our Lord a certain manner of public confession, to a quite limited or more general public as the case may be. His private sins did not demand that — and more pertinently, his public Confession seems to be an exact public mirror of the private case that was at the centre of another Faithful Repentant who was the actual subject of the Pope’s “who am I to judge ?” comment.

    To claim that Michael Voris’ Confessed and Forgiven sins should be subjected to condemnation is pure and simple to deny the Sacraments, without which all of us are damned.

  41. JabbaPapa says:

    Me : To claim that Michael Voris’ Confessed and Forgiven sins should be subjected to condemnation is pure and simple to deny the Sacraments, without which all of us are damned.

    It would also be straightforwadly heretical.

  42. YoungLatinMassGuy says:

    I’m going to buck the trend here and say that I think Michael Voris is too soft, and shows too much charity to his opponents. The conditions in the Church are worse than Michael thinks. [“too much charity”… let’s pause to ponder that for a moment, remembering that charity is a virtue, which is the mean between extremes.]

    Now, with that being said, I don’t care about his past, he’s done a lot of good work since I’ve been following him, he’s one of the main reasons I converted to the Church. I hope he’s confessed his sins, and that’s good enough for me. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones and all that.

    I only hope and pray that he didn’t make this announcement because the Archdiocese of New York got ahold of this information that he revealed in Confession.

    Don’t for one minute think that people are not going to look at this announcement and not think: “Hey, is Michael Voris’ sins can be revealed, maybe my sins could be revealed in the future too…”

  43. The Astronomer says:

    +1 on Luke 15:7

    Knowing from a personal family perspective the pain of homosexual profligacy and militancy, and how it destroys entire families (speaking from personal experience here), I applaud Mr. Voris. Once our sins have been absolved in the Confessional, NO ONE has the right to compel a public recitation and acknowledgement of them.

    The ‘Lavender Mafia’ is secretive, vicious and a potential endeavor to shut down an apostolate like CM would be a gleeful walk in the park for these men. If Mr. Voris was given a heads-up that something like this was underway, he took the only path available and I say God bless him.

  44. Geoffrey says: I am also not a fan of this trend in society to air one’s dirty laundry before the masses. If it helps others in similar situations to change their lives, then Deo gratias, I suppose.

    Well, St. Augustine aired his dirty laundry in his Confessions.

  45. Vincent says:

    I subscribed to CMTV for a long while but cancelled the subscription maybe a year ago. I had a number of comments deleted, etc. I don’t have a problem with moderation of comments, but the implication was that if you wanted to present a different view then that was the end of your comment, especially if you corrected one of their inaccuracies. I voted with my feet. Especially when they then did their week long hit piece on the SSPX. They seemed to forget that ultimately we’re on the same side… Anyway, there were a number of reasons, but none of them were Michael Voris.

    He’s an admirable reporter; his pieces at the first synod on the family were really quite something and I relied heavily on his coverage. To be honest, the fact that he was, ermm, ‘of that persuasion’ only strengthens his utility. People who go on about how the Church hates gays always get really upset when you point to those who’ve managed to get themselves out of that lifestyle. It will strengthen the authority of his commentary, if my experiences of arguments with non-believers is anything to go by.

  46. aviva meriam says:

    Amazed by Michael Voris: his courage, faith and integrity are inspirational.
    I am deeply concerned about the idea that within the Archdiocese, there were individuals who might have thought a media based campaign against him was a good idea. First, it is the sin of detraction. Second, it makes the laity believe the seal of the confessional is no longer valid. It’s hard enough for reverts (in particular) but all sinners in general to overcome fear and anxiety to go and confess as required. Anything that becomes an unnecessary and unjust impediment to the Sacrament is a HUGE problem. Third, the church needs the laity (like Michael Voris) to take the leap and become a part of the solution to the problems in the church. If people see this example, and think that their sins might be publicized if they speak up, they will naturally become reluctant.
    IN general, I am so proud of the many people that expressed support for Michael Voris in light of his public confession. The charity, love and acceptance displayed (by in large) has been heart warming. This is what we are called to do….

  47. A couple of people have commented on the possibility that Voris was threatened with a violation of the sacramental seal, or at least that the public may perceive this as a threat to violate the seal. I personally am very discouraged in the short term about the state of affairs in the Church, and have been convinced for years that, in our time, the good priests and bishops are outnumbered by the bad ones. But priests violating the seal is one thing I have never feared, even from those who are furthest off the reservation. The Holy Spirit never ceases to be in charge, no matter how bad things get. He sets limits to evil, and I believe this is one of those limits.

  48. Absit invidia says:

    Michael Voris is practicing some early Christian rigors of humility here. It took incredible humility to admit to something like this. Although we all know none of it was really necessary, in Michaels mind perhaps it is as a form of penance. Michael is pretty hard core like that. I’m glad we heard it from him and not his sleazy enemies circling like sharks.

  49. KAS says:

    I enjoy watching the various news and commentary programs on Church Militant. I’ve heard Michael Voris many times refer to his past as horribly sinful. He never tried to hide that his past was horribly sinful. His mother had to emulate St. Monica to a heroic degree. And he turned back from a lifestyle reminiscent in its own way of St. Augustine’s. God often uses people who were honestly driving down the wrong path (St. Paul was after all Saul the one who hunting Christians so they could be stoned to death!) and pulled them back to do a good work.

    I found his detailed testimony of just how bad his previous lifestyle had been, and how Jesus saved him by way of the graces from the Sacraments and his mother’s penance and prayers, very moving.

    His witness of the power of Jesus to save is well done. God bless him and keep him running that good race to the end.

  50. SanSan says:

    I love Michael Voris and all of the CMT team. He is a great defender, teacher, and lover of Holy Mother Church.

    I was thinking…..Michael said that he had received information from trusted sources, that the NY Diocese was gathering information on Michael’s past in order to discredit him…..out of vengence for his reports on them.

    I believe that Michael’s decision to “tell all” has helped the NY Diocese (and the people running it) to divert their public attacks and the possibility of committing, vengence, calumny and detraction.

    That’s authentic love.

  51. Maltese says:

    The first commentator on Mr. Voris’ blog had a good comment:

    “As C.L. Lewis said in the 1940’s – ‘Finally, though I have had to speak at some length about sex. I want to make it perfectly clear as I possibly can that the center of Christian morality is not here. If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong. The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport, and back-biting, the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who regularly goes to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But of course, it is better to be neither.'”

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