(LifeSiteNews) — A Canadian judge rejected Fr. Thomas Rosica’s petition to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault after Rosica asked that the civil case against him instead be handled by a canonical court.
Judge Evelyn M. ten Cate of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario ruled that plaintiff, Fr. Michael Bechard, can proceed with his civil suit that alleges that Rosica “made unwanted physical contact” with Bechard when he was a newly ordained priest more than two decades ago.
Both Bechard’s ordinary, Bishop Ronald Fabbro of London, Ontario, and Rosica are members of the Congregation of St. Basil.
According to the American Catholic news outlet The Pillar, Rosica’s faculties as a priest were suspended in March 2024, shortly after the case was first filed.
Over twenty years ago, after establishing himself as a mentor to the younger priest, Rosica allegedly exposed himself and repeatedly “groped and fondled” Bechard.
“Rosica facilitated the abuse under the guise of his role as teacher, priest, and guidance counselor, and further with a view of implicitly or explicitly helping the Plaintiff’s career within the Church in return for Rosica’s sexual advances,” the suit charges.
The case also alleges that Rosica used his influence over him to keep Bechard quiet.
Throughout the period of time that the aforementioned behaviour was occurring, Rosica used his position of authority and trust, as well as the dependency relationship that he had fostered with the Plaintiff, to ensure that the Plaintiff did not tell anyone about the behaviours they had engaged in.
Bechard asserts that Rosica “did willfully and/or negligently inflict pain and suffering, mental suffering, humiliation and degradation upon the Plaintiff, assaulted the Plaintiff and interfered with his normal upbringing and development solely for the purpose of his own gratification.”
Bechard’s lawsuit also takes aim at their religious order, charging the Congregations of St. Basil having failed to adequately supervise Rosica.
For his part, Rosica denied Bechard’s allegations, “including the description of events and his interactions with the Plaintiff.” He denies “engaging in any improper conduct with the Plaintiff,” that “he had a close personal relationship with the Plaintiff in any capacity,” and that “he had any control or influence over him, or that he preyed upon him or sexually abused him.” He also denies “that he was in any position of authority over the Plaintiff, or that a trust or dependency or mentorship or support or guidance relationship developed between himself, and the Plaintiff.”
Additionally, Rosica denies that “he made unwanted physical contact” with the younger priest and denies that “he sexually abused and or assaulted and or molested” him. He does admit to knowing the younger priest, saying “he had infrequent ministerial contact with the Plaintiff between 1996 and 2002.”
Rosica’s attorney argued that “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,” his attorney urged.
Judge ten Cate disagreed.
“In my view, the Plaintiff’s claim is not essentially doctrinal or ecclesiastical in nature – it is of interest to all Canadians and goes well beyond the internal matters of the Roman Catholic Church,” ten Cate responded in her August 7 decision.
“Moreover, the canonical court does not have an adequate internal dispute mechanism meant to cover claims for damages arising from sexual assault cases,” ten Cate said. “Specifically, it has no ability to award punitive or aggravated damages, cannot make a finding of vicarious liability, and has no enforcement mechanism.”
Rosica’s once soaring career as a Catholic communicator was shot down by 2019, when LifeSiteNews broke the story of the Salt + Light Catholic Media CEO’s partly-plagiarized speech for the Von Hügel Institute at Cambridge University.
Soon after, dozens of examples were found in Rosica’s newspaper columns and speeches, and others have been found in his books and academic articles.
Four months later, Rosica resigned from the Toronto-based Catholic television network, Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, that he had helped launch in 2003. In 2009, he was appointed as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communication and was a participant in the Vatican’s 2019 global summit on clerical sexual abuse.
