Priest loses Vatican credentials after challenging prelate

Friday, October 16th, 2015

The Vatican has reportedly revoked the press credentials of a priest doing media reports on the synod on the family.

This came after Fr Nicholas Gregoris challenged Canadian Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher after a press conference on October 6.

Fr Gregoris, who had been covering Vatican news for 15 years, was told to leave the Sala Stampa premises “immediately” when he arrived there the next day.

The priest said he was not given an explanation.

At the October 6 press conference, Archbishop Durocher was asked if the issue of Communion for the divorced and remarried was a matter of doctrine or of discipline.

“To be quite honest, there might be differences of opinion on that,” Archbishop Durocher reportedly said.

“Let’s be honest. Is that a question of doctrine or is that a question of discipline? I think that’s probably going to be one of the questions that will be debated in the small groups.”

“If you want doctrine, go read Denzinger,” he added.

As Archbishop Durocher walked back after the press briefing, Fr Gregoris approached him and questioned him on the remarks.

“I told him that I think it was very dangerous to say the Church can change her teaching on the divorced and Communion,” Fr Gregoris told LifeSiteNews.

In particular, the priest told Archbishop Durocher that “conciliarism is a heresy”, referring to the idea that Church councils can establish doctrine independently of the Pope.

Archbishop Durocher reportedly said little in response, and then walked away.

Referring to his own situation, Fr Gregoris said he didn’t “think the Vatican should act like the Gestapo, the politburo”.

“They’ve made a mountain out of a mole hill – they’ve made it worse.”

Fr Gregoris also said that several journalists had approached him after the incident and “thanked me for having the courage to say what I said”.

Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said in a statement that Fr Gregoris’s behaviour toward Archbishop Durocher had violated the ethical code of the Vatican press office.

Fr Lombardi said Fr Gregoris had displayed “deplorable behaviour”.

Sources