Father Peter West is truly a courageous and remarkable priest. His courage to speak truth with love is unmatched. The opinions he provides when not taken completely out of context as NJ.com has sadly done, speak to highlight both the love and justice aspects of Jesus that are both contained in the Bible and in Roman Catholic Theology.

Sadly, someone at NJ.com didn’t like much of what Father West says when he brings the dangers of rejecting truth and facts to light in his commentary on the intersection of the divine and temporal realms in various areas of popular culture and politics.

This person, with the full support of their news editor has decided to write an article that is misleading and makes use of innuendo and lies by deploying deceitful writing methods that both lie by obfuscation and lie by mischaracterization while presenting information completely out of context.

If the Archdiocese of Newark listens to these lies, and reacts as if they were true, it will be standing up in support of the very evil that the Roman Catholic Church claims to be against.

Reacting to lies as if they are true, by silencing Fr. West, would be the worst decision the Archdiocese of Newark could make, especially in this critical period of Fatima's 100th anniversary.

Fr. West should be both permitted to continue speaking exactly as he has done in the past both on social media and person to person, and he should be promoted to lead a community and church engagement forum whose goal is to both engage and lovingly correct those who willfully reject facts and truth about the Roman Catholic faith as well as those who reject facts and truth of the civic and temporal nature.

Sometimes, as Fr. West always says - "Friendly mockery flowing from an immense love of humanity towards those who willfully reject truth is sometimes the only way to tug at their heart strings. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but we can never give up trying."

NJ.com took his words completely out of context and lied. Therefore, any anger, correction, and efforts to eradicate danger should be directed at them and NOT at Fr. West.

In contrast to NJ.com doubling down on lies, surely the Roman Catholic Diocese of Newark will not fail to double down in its support of Father West lest it sin like Saint Peter when he said "I do not know the man."

Similar to John the Baptist, Fr. West is a voice crying out in the desert reminding others that Truth and Facts matter.

Choosing to remain blinded by what our desires and our emotions tell us about reality when facts show otherwise, is the same as rejecting the Truth Christ reveals to humanity.

The Bishop and Archdiocese of Newark, NJ have a responsibility to do the right thing and correct NJ.com as well as call them out on their falsehoods, mischaracterizations, and obfuscation.

Perhaps the Archdiocese writing an article that exposes the specific instances of obfuscation, mischaracterization, and out of context lies by NJ.com would be an appropriate first step for the Archdiocese in its efforts to combat these types of lies that are all too often presented in the media as a means of silencing opposition.

When your priests are courageous and not afraid to speak truth with love and the sternness of justice, you don't stop them, you double down in support of them. You Help them continue to speak the Truth even louder. Jesus often spoke the truth about popular culture and politics manifested by the intersection between the spiritual and temporal realm. Christ spoke truth and was hated and even killed for it.

In turn, Christ created the church not to kill those like him, but to bolster and support them.

We urge the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ to bolster and support those speaking the Truth to the people with love as Jesus did, and to protect them from the attacks brought forth by the devil through lies, obfuscation, mischaracterization, and twisting of words.

Today Father Peter West is the subject of that attack. Tomorrow it may be your Bishop and members of your flock if you fail to stand in full support of those who bring truth to the people.