The Games Church Militant Plays! Using the Wyoming Carmelites for Target Practice

Editor’s note: Readers, be aware that I am deliberately using the same
extreme language Church Militant uses against those with whom they disagree. I would never call CM a “cult” if they did not throw out that accusation liberally against orthodox Catholics who embrace tradition, especially those who attend SSPX chapels. I will not, however, stoop to using their “pervert” and  “pedo enabler” language against them no matter how many same sex attracted men with crazy hair run their circus. But really, to call a rally by Michael and Milo “boot camp” makes me laugh! Remember Corporal Klinger in MASH? That immediately comes to mind. I had to resist the urge to post a picture of Klinger, but you can see some here. And now on to the games CM plays!

Church Militant continues to boast a number of cult followers who worship at the shrine of Michael Voris and Christine Niles.

Their true believers can always be depended upon to accept uncritically the pronouncements of their heroes no matter how questionable and malicious their “Spotlights.” They happily join the pile-on in the comment section with vicious affirmation of all the deadly duo say. Michael is their celebrity news anchor, retreat master, boot camp sergeant, and general guru of all  things. His sidekick, Christine, is their crackerjack investigator and #2 news anchor. The blue-pilled residents of the cult enthusiastically affirm CM’s claim to be the most trusted Catholic news station in the United States…the globe…and the universe. They believe without question that Michael and Christine are the masters of all they survey! They see nothing bizarre in a “retreat” offered by an attention-seeking, same-sex attracted individual who relishes the limelight. It seems normal to them for Michael to take center stage during the most sacred week of the year while they celebrate the Easter Triduum in a hotel ballroom instead of a consecrated church. Like I said — bizarro world!

Well, after long exposure to CM’s slanderous, malicious, and uncharitable “reporting” we think it’s high time people began to call out their propaganda, because that’s exactly what it is. Definition: “information of a misleading or biased nature used to promote a political agenda or point of view.” They definitely have an agenda and a biased point of view which uses scandals (real and bogus) to attack their targets, generate clicks and, especially, to bring in money, money, money. Note how often they ask for it! 

Some of us stopped swallowing CM’s blue pill a long time ago. We were red-pilled when CM accepted $300,000 from Terry Carroll and started attacking and name calling those who love Sacred Tradition and the Traditional Latin Mass. We recognized the grave lack of charity in labeling critics as “rad-trads,” “pedo-enablers,” “cult followers,” and other disparaging terms. 

Former fans are waking up to the serious and disordered nature of CM and canceling their premium subscriptions. Michael and Christine use truth to give themselves a semblance of honesty while they engage in exaggeration, disinformation, loaded language, video manipulation, and outright lies to advance their particular biases. They are expert game players, every bit as talented as the showman with his pea under the shell and his sleight-of-hand antics. They especially thrive in video manipulation using mood music, sensational pictures, etc. to imprint their desired viewpoint on the unwary viewer. It’s pure Hollywood!

So let’s look at some of the games in the CM carnival midway.

First, the players. If you watch some of the Spotlight programs and interviews, you’ll note that a number of  CM “whistleblowers” are young, immature, and appear to love attention. Susan and I have written a number of articles about the youngsters exploited by Christine to support her narrative against the SSPX and others, painting them as “a cult of perverts.” Neither of the two young girls, Jassy and Hannah, used to “prove” CM’s accusations against the SSPX was credible. In her interview with Jassy, Christine’s style was to ask leading questions, use terminology obviously designed to elicit accusations of “grooming,” etc. This is not the approach of an investigator, but the tactic of a propagandist. Christine made it clear she planned to interview Hannah, but that never materialized, not surprising in view of Hannah’s bizarre posts on her “Desert Rose” blog which was removed. You can check out several articles on our CM page about these two “sources” and other accusations made by Christine about the SSPX that lack substance and, in fact, show a complete lack of serious investigative skills. A particularly egregious accusation was that a young man committed suicide due to SSPX abuse when the evidence indicates he was likely murdered in a drug dispute between rival gangs. Spinning the narrative is another common tactic of CM, propagandists extraordinaire.

And now we have Christine’s “Counterfeit Carmel” Spotlight defaming the Wyoming Carmelites. The young “whistleblower” seems perfectly sincere. His charges against one of the monks for threatening him and poking him in the chest with a trowel (no injuries) and “strangling” him led to a criminal investigation and a courtroom appearance and a suspended sentence for the monk. But on the whole Augustine’s accusations seemed to arise from unrealistic expectations about contemplative and monastic life and possible misinterpretation of events. The testimony of a former novice, Nick, discloses a completely different picture of the Carmel from that of Augustine who appears to be a coddled little boy with plenty of time on his hands to write a 40+ page “dossier” excoriating the monks and accusing them of being a cult of perverts grooming unsuspecting novices. You can read Nick’s interpretation of events here which puts a totally different perspective on the monastery compared to Christine’s sensational and biased Spotlight with one more attack on “the trads.” More on that later.

Another characteristic of Church Militant is to put the worst possible construction on events and to generally examine only one side of the story. That was certainly true of the Wyoming Carmel Spotlight. Augustine spent less than a month at the monastery. Nick, an Army infantry vet who spent four months at Carmel, presented a totally different picture of his own personal experience there. CM not only dismissed him because he would not provide them his whole name (Who could blame him in view of the assaults levied by CM on anyone who disputes their views?), but ended up disparaging him and using his words against him. That’s another typical tactic of propagandists. If you talk to them, they use it against you; if you won’t talk to them they use it against you. CM does that regularly to control the narrative. 

Christine’s “whistleblower,” Augustine Inferrera, spent less than a month at the monastery. He had already visited a number of other institutes which he left. How stable is the young man? It’s a legitimate question in view of his flitting from one community to another. Apparently none of them matches his demands and idea of monastic life.

But CM doesn’t question his statements at all. He’s to be taken as totally reliable unlike Nick. CM warned that anyone who questioned Augustine’s story would be immediately censored. But here’s how CM treated army vet, Nick, an obviously mature young man who spent four times longer at the monastery than Augustine. They disparage and dismiss his experience:

Augustine had the courage to come out with his full name. [Nick made it clear he would provide his full name as long as CM gave him certain assurances in writing. He ended by saying he knows how media works and he’s not stupid! In view of CM’s history of slandering and twisting the replies from those who dissent from their agenda, the man is prudent!] So did the novice who backed him up. We have since learned of others who have had bad experiences there, and one may even be writing to the bishop about it. They're now being attacked by various people for being truthful about what they witnessed. No surprise. The same people attack whistleblowers and victims of abuse by clergy thought "too holy" to engage in misconduct. [This is another typical tactic of CM. They assure their followers that they have numerous other unnamed sources who have contacted them. Don’t hold your breath waiting to see them produced! And anyone who questions the accusations is demonized as an attacker who can’t handle the truth.]

"Some things seem odd at first but you really have to live a day in the monks shoes to know why it has to be that way."

No thanks. No one needs to experience spiritual direction in underwear to "know why it has to be that way." No one needs to be choked & thrown up against a wall to "know why it has to be that way." [The implication here is that the monks hang out in the office in their underwear, when, as Nick pointed out, novices often wake up the director in the middle of the night 
banging on his door seeking assistance. As for the assault. It was reported to the police and involved ONE monk who apparently has an anger problem.]

Have you ever considered the possibility that perhaps, because of the length of time you spent there, YOU are the one who was desensitized and YOUR thinking distorted because you blindly trusted trad clergy who told you this is how things must be, and that Augustine is in fact the one with the proper perspective? [Another typical CM tactic. While they make it clear they will not tolerate any questioning of Augustine’s testimony as 100% on target and totally to be trusted, they immediately disparage Nick. Since he is defending the monks, he must be wrong, “desensitized” with “distorted thinking” and lacking the “proper perspective.” Unfortunately for CM, Nick comes across as an intelligent and balanced individual with no ax to grind. But he must be dismissed since his experience conflicts with CM’s scandal-mongering expose!]

As we made clear in our featured comment - anyone trying to justify homosexual grooming will have their comments deleted. [Once again, CM assumes what they are trying to prove. The monks are perverts grooming the novices and the monastery is a cult of perversion. CM is consistent in their hate for those who embrace traditionalism. They will use any tactic to damage and destroy.] If we allow that, we might as well allow friends of Fr. Carlos Urrutigoity (another trad priest) [typical disparagement of those who embrace tradition.] to rationalize why it was ok for him to invite young males to sleep in his bed. [implies that’s what the Carmelite monks are doing] Our platform is not a democracy; we will not allow others to use it to rationalize harmful behavior. [This is another propaganda tactic. The guilt of the monks is assumed. They are a bunch of perverts running a corrupt, fake monastery. This is no “investigation,” but a witch hunt. Keep in mind that CM based their story on the testimony of one young man who spent less than a month at the monastery and another about whom we are told almost nothing. The bishop’s investigation was dismissed, however, because he received donations from the monks. Interestingly, what the monastery donated to the diocese is a fraction of the $300,000 CM received from Terry Carroll. But CM implies that the bishop was bought and sold by the monks. Not CM, of course. They are 100% true blue and the only reliable Catholic media on the planet. Taking Carroll’s money and putting him on the Board of Director’s and letting him participate in the day-to-day operations of CM (corroborated by their IRS submission) while lying about it was a-okay. It wasn’t a bribe because they are true-blue! Just ask them!]

Church Militant’s credibility depends largely on the reputations of others with whom they link up. But many have learned that CM has no loyalty and will throw any and all under the bus when it suits them. Just ask former allies at The Remnant and LifeSiteNews who were once interviewed and treated with respect by Voris and company. No more! CM demonizes Michael Matt, Chris Ferrara, John-Henry Weston, and others. Now they are part of the disparaged Catholic media, none of whom can be trusted according to CM, except themselves. 

Like the schoolyard bully, CM alone must be king of the hill. But the games they play can only continue as long as their groupies let them play team captain. Many already recognize them for the Pravda/Goebbels propaganda machine they are. CM uses truth as a convenient tool to fool the unwary while they twist and spin. It’s always a sign of the evil one who doesn’t mind giving souls a few sapphires if he can turn their diamonds back into coal to fuel the furnace in the abyss. 

May all the patron saints of media intercede for CM’s exposure especially St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Clare. We ask their intercession both for those misled by CM and also for Michael Voris, ringmaster, and his team of performers.

Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.

Post Script: If you’re so inclined, you can read the self-serving, money grubbing email from Voris below expressing the absolute hubris which is their hallmark. I removed all links because I will not send traffic to their website. These types of emails will flood your inbox if you sign up for them.

Corporate Prayer  vs. Corporate Profit [PLEASE READ]

Dear Faithful Catholic, As you know, Church Militant has established itself as the most authoritative voice in fighting the effects of the modernist heresy in the culture. [They like to think so!]   We are a Catholic media apostolate that places corporate prayer over corporate profit [That’s a laugh!] — unlike pro-vax Our Sunday Visitor, which recently attacked us. Prayer is at the center of everything we do here. We start each day with Rosary and Morning Prayer and end with Evening Prayer.   You and I know what is REALLY going on is a spiritual war, and that is how Church Militant approaches it, because that IS the ONLY way to approach it.   We are David, and Our Sunday Vax — I mean Visitor — and the other fake Catholic news outlets are Goliath. [Everybody is “fake Catholic news” except them. If you believe it, they have a bridge in Ferndale you can buy. $300,000 is a nice round sum.]   Church Militant is fighting evil with everything we have. Today, I am asking that you financially support our efforts to strengthen our spiritual battle in the material world. If you love what we do and want us to do more, please donate today. By clicking on this link and committing to giving whatever you can on a monthly basis, you assure the continuation of this important work.   Thank you in advance for whatever you can do to help.   The battle against the modernist heresy requires a full-time commitment and high level of vigilance from you and from Church Militant. Be assured that WE will never let up, and I am sure you won’t either.   Join this war by financially supporting those on the front lines, as Church Militant most certainly is.

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Again, thank you in advance, and most importantly, please keep our work in your prayers and Mass intentions. God love you, Michael Voris