The leader of an ultra-conservative Catholic movement that targeted the LGBTQ+ community was allegedly sending his staff members sexually suggestive photos when he resigned in November. Michael Voris, who led the Detroit-based Church Militant, quit due to a “morality clause,” the board of the church initially claimed. Then, it was revealed that Voris, who vehemently ran a McCarthyist campaign against social-political adversaries by claiming they were gay, was sending post-workout photos of himself, shirtless. Earlier in 2023, photos of Voris and screenshots of racy text messages appeared on the church’s database. Then, staff members at Church Militant began making complaints. “I’ve learned Michael has been in the habit of sending shirtless selfies to multiple men inside and outside the apostolate,” then-Church Militant webcast host Christine Niles said in November. “They reveal an unhealthy obsession with his physique, not to mention the terrible optics—particularly considering his former lifestyle.” In 2016, Voris admitted to having an “extremely sinful” life in the LGBTQ+ community, but that admission clearly never stalled his judgment.
