Canadian religious order says assault case should be considered by canonical tribunal
The Congregation of St. Basil has appealed a Canadian judge’s August 7 decision to allow a lawsuit to proceed against the congregation and its prominent member Fr. Thomas Rosica.
The lawsuit, filed in Ontario in March 2024, alleges that Rosica sexually assaulted a young priest who was helping him with preparation for the 2002 World Youth Day celebrations.
The lawsuit also charges that Rosica’s religious order, the Congregation of St. Basil, failed to properly supervise Rosica, and ignored complaints about his inappropriate interactions with young men.
Rosica, who denies the allegations, had asked the Canadian court to toss the lawsuit, because the case should be addressed exclusively in a canonical court.
Attorneys for Rosica and the Basilian Fathers argued that “the Court has no jurisdiction over the subject matter of this dispute as the Plaintiff and Fr. Rosica…
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