Court allows sexual abuse lawsuit against Fr. Rosica to proceed

(LifeSiteNews) — An Ontario appeals court rejected a request by the Congregation of St. Basil to toss out a lawsuit from a priest who alleges that he was sexually abused by a member of the order, Father Thomas Rosica, after he was newly ordained. 

In a June 4 ruling reported by the U.S. Catholic news outlet The Pillar, the Court of Appeal for Ontario upheld a decision by a lower court against Rosica that had ordered his congregation to pay $14,000 in legal costs.

As reported by LifeSiteNews, the lawsuit, which was filed in 2024, claims that Rosica “made unwanted physical contact” with Fr. Michael Bechard when he was a newly ordained priest more than two decades ago during the 2002 Toronto World Youth Day.

The lawsuit claims that the Congregation of St. Basil did not properly supervise Rosica and that it dismissed complaints made against him relating to inappropriate dealings with young men.

Rosica has denied the allegations and appealed to have the lawsuit tossed out, arguing that the case should have been heard in a canonical court.

Last year, Judge Evelyn M. ten Cate of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario ruled that Bechard could proceed with his civil suit that alleges that Rosica “made unwanted physical contact” with him.

Lawyers for both Rosica and the Basilian Fathers claimed 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.”

Over 20 years ago, 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 to keep Bechard quiet.  

Rosica was a popular Canadian Catholic communicator when LifeSiteNews broke the story in 2019 of the Salt + Light Catholic Media CEO’s half-plagiarized speech for the Von Hügel Institute at Cambridge University. Rosica had helped launch Salt + Light Catholic Media in 2003.

After the expose, dozens of examples were found in Rosica’s newspaper columns as well as speeches and some in his books and academic articles that showed signs of plagiarism.

After LifeSiteNews’ expose, Rosica resigned from the Toronto-based Catholic television network, Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation.

In 2009, Rosica was appointed as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communication. Ironically, he was also a participant in the Vatican’s 2019 global summit on clerical sexual abuse.