Who Is Father John Morris? New Details On The Controversial Fox News Contributor Who Left The Catholic Priesthood
Some callings are too strong to ignore.
Instagram He was a former Roman Catholic priest that served in the Archdiocese of New York, and was a regular commentator on Fox News. However, he recently made headlines for leaving the priesthood in a flurry of controversy. Who is Father John Morris?
Father John Morris was once one of the most prominent priests in the Roman Catholic church for a long time. As a member of the Legion of Christ, he was considered one of the so-called “holy men” of the Roman Catholic church, and even used his extensive connections to become a trusted Hollywood adviser.
But in May 2019, he announced that he was leaving the church and resigning from the priesthood.
So, what happened? Let’s look at what we know about Father John Morris.
1. He studied in Rome, Italy.
It’s a dream of many a student to engage in studies abroad — but for Father John Morris, it was a reality. According to the National Catholic Register, he entered into the priesthood at 21 and went to Rome, Italy, to study theology, classics, and philosophy. He was formally ordained as a priest in the Legion of Christ order in 2002 after his studies.
2. He served as an adviser on The Passion of the Christ.
Before he was (rightly) ostracized from Hollywood, Mel Gibson released the popular — though controversial — film, The Passion of the Christ. And, in an interview with the Franciscan University of Steubenville Newspaper, Father John Morris confirmed he served as the adviser on the film for nearly two years. He also claimed he was a “personal friend” of Mel Gibson, which is probably not something he should say out loud these days.
“For the last year and a half I have had the grace of working on this film, doing some theological consulting and above all just being there as a priest and a friend for the producers and the actors. This film is a triumph of art but first and foremost it is a triumph of faith. There were some tough times on the set. Mel, Steve, Jim ... they were taking a big risk, putting on the line their careers, their reputation and friendships within the film industry itself. A lot was at stake and the devil was very active. We could feel the spiritual warfare, and we knew that we were involved in something bigger than ourselves. When things started going wrong, when the press began to attack ferociously and relentlessly, these were hard moments. We did a lot of praying and we did a lot of talking,” he said to the paper.
3. He was the program director of SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel.
According to The Catholic Sun, in 2012, Father John Morris became the program director for SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel. He held that position until 2015. He held that position while serving as a priest for Corpus Christi church in Manhattan and served in the Columbia University ministry.
4. The Legion of Christ is extremely controversial.
Father John Morris was a member of the Legion of Christ order of the Roman Catholic church, but that order is not without its controversies. According to Crux, Morris left the order in 2009, three years after its founder was suspended from his priestly duties for sexual abuse, misconduct, and abuse of power.
5. Father John Morris wanted to leave the priesthood to start a family.
In a statement released to Patheos, Father John Morris made clear that he wants to be relieved of his priestly duties because he’s interested in starting a family.
“Taking this step is something I have considered often and at length in years past and discussed with my spiritual guides. While I have loved and thrived in so many aspects of my ministry, deep in my interior I have struggled for years with my vocation and with the commitments that the Catholic priesthood demands, especially not being able to marry and have a family,” he said. “My fear of disappointing people’s expectations of me has always held me back from taking this step. Only now, because of this sabbatical, have I had the clarity of mind and peace of soul to move in this direction.”
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. Find her online at www.bernadettegiacomazzo.com and www.longlivetheuprising.com.