Catholic Publisher Settles $125 Million Lawsuit, Removes Books from Sale.

The owner of TAN Books, Saint Benedict Press, has settled a $125 million copyright infringement lawsuit, withdrawing some of its most important Catholic titles from sale. The reason: Baronius Press had filed what is possibly the largest ever lawsuit against a Catholic publisher for copyright infringement, false copyright claims and deceptive trade practices. Baronius claimed Saint Benedict Press was liable for damages of well over $100 million involving copyrights owned by numerous religious orders and Baronius Press, court documents reveal.

The case started in 2016. It initially focused on the English edition of Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Ludwig Ott, which Tan had advertised as one of their most important titles. Baronius alleged that in addition to infringing copyright, Tan had knowingly sold customers an edition containing doctrinal and translation errors. Subsequently, several other classic titles including works by the renowned theologian Reginald Garrigou Lagrange were added to the complaint.

Baronius Press is a British publisher with a reputation for publishing editions of pre-Vatican II Catholic titles such as the Roman Breviary, Douay-Rheims and Knox Bibles. Last month it announced that high demand caused several titles including its 1962 Missal to run out of stock. Since settlement of the lawsuit, TAN has withdrawn certain titles from sale, while Baronius has recently announced it has exclusive rights to publish these titles.

In the afternoon of May 9, a sacrilegious theft occurred in Santa Teresa parish church in San Gavino Monreale, Southern Sardinia, Italy. A young man opened the tabernacle stole about one hundred consecrated particles and a container for what is described as communion of celiacs. Surveillance cameras show how he forced the tabernacle, stole the hosts, leaving the container empty, stole a candle holder, a few euros from an offering box and ate the hosts. The parish-priest, Father Elvio Tuveri, turned this into a case of – quote – “new poverty increasingly present in our territory” presuming that the thief stole the hosts – quote – “out of hunger.”