The ultra-conservative outlet Church Militant will officially close down at the end of April, according to its lawyers.
Notorious for trafficking in unsourced allegations against the papacy and the US hierarchy, the organisation faces closure after losing a defamation suit brought by a New Hampshire priest, Fr Georges de Laire, who was awarded $500,000 in damages after Church Militant published an anonymous essay accusing him of heresy.
Church Militant, originally named Real Catholic TV, was one of several religious outlets that used social media to gain a small but devoted following. In 2011, the Archdiocese of Detroit forbade the organisation to use the name Catholic, so its changed its name to Church Militant.
It did not follow reporting standards but published rumours and attack pieces that occasionally proved correct – most infamously in the case of the former cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
These often derived from the fulminations of the disgraced former apostolic nuncio to the US, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano. They also consistently condemned President Joe Biden for his stance on abortion and promoted the candidacy of former President Donald Trump.
Last year, Church Militant was beset by its own scandal when its founder Michael Voris resigned. He posted a heartfelt video apology, saying: “There are things I have to go away and address and work on, horrible, ugly things.”
It was later revealed that Voris had sent shirtless photos of himself to staff and to a donor.
The same day its closure was announced, the organisation reached a settlement with the city of Baltimore after a long-running dispute.
In 2021, city officials tried to prevent Church Militant from hosting a rally in Baltimore at a pavilion adjacent to the hotel where the US bishops hold their annual plenary. The officials expressed fears there might be violence, noting that former Trump advisor Steve Bannon and provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos were among the scheduled speakers.
They eventually permitted the rally, but only 1,500 people attended leaving the pavilion half-empty.
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