Is the Pope Catholic (enough)? – LifeSiteNews puts John-Henry Westen out to pasture

Opinion

It’s always interesting to watch the media spin around Madawaska Valley’s own so-called arch-right-wing ultra-conservative super-traditional-Catholic John-Henry Westen. The fact that LifeSiteNews announced his sudden departure from the role of CEO and Editor-in-Chief was newsworthy in itself. Westen was a co-founder of LifeSiteNews and had served in that role since 1997. (John-Henry Westen shown above at Mar-a-Lago in March 2025)

An internet search revealed a plethora of articles and social media posts on the subject, including one from his spouse Dianne Westen on X.com in which she pointedly referred to an “NDA” (Non-Disclosure Agreement). I was intrigued as the existence of an NDA usually means there’s a legal subtext worth looking into. So it’s not surprising that Chris Jackson, writing for the Catholic Monitor, took the time to analyse the announcements on the ethernet in an effort to make some sense of it all.

Jackson bills himself on Substack as “Traditional Catholic writer and commentator. No compromise. No quietism. Standing for the Faith when others fall silent.” Given this description, he can hardly be considered a liberal Catholic, and indeed his admiration for Westen’s traditionalist Catholic views as well as for LifeSiteNews is apparent in the piece. But he says what we are seeing from LifeSiteNews is a typical corporate Public Relations program put into place to control and change the narrative. Reading the various announcements that he refers to, readers can see why LifeSiteNews felt it had to step in and take control of all the noise.

Of course as we have previously reported, we are talking major conspiracy theorists here so re-writing history must come naturally to LSN folks.

Jackson’s piece is entitled “The Truth Comes Out: John-Henry Westen Fired for Making LifeSite too Traditionally Catholic”. In it, he outlines his belief that LifeSiteNews implemented “a coordinated, three-phase damage control campaign … designed not only to calm supporters, but to reprogram the memory of why he was removed.” Here’s the chronology – what do you think?

July 8 2025 at 4:31pm EDT:         “LifeSiteNews announces that John-Henry Westen is no longer CEO and Editor-in-Chief following a recent board vote. He is now on a well-earned sabbatical, spending valuable time with his family.”

July 9 2025 at 1:47pm EDT: LifeSiteNews published a statement from disgraced Bishop John Strickland, emphasizing his personal gratitude and support for Westen and reassuring readers that there is no need for speculation, much of which is “inaccurate,” about Westen’s departure. He states, “I can affirm this with confidence: John-Henry Westen was not removed for speaking the truth. and that he was definitely not fired for being too traditionalist.”

July 9 2025 at 4:33pm EDT:          Steve Jalsevac, Co-Founder and Managing Director of LifeSiteNews, responded to a post on X.com that stated “John-Henry was LifeSite, it will be literally nothing without him.” Jalsevac wrote, “that is just what John-Henry may have wanted many to believe. It is completely false.” Jalsevac went into considerable detail about LSN during the tenure of John-Henry Westen. He made it clear that Westen’s insistence that the Church should embrace the traditional teachings of the Council of Trent, e.g. the Latin Mass, etc. instead of concentrating on the pro-life, pro-family ethos that LSN was founded on has resulted in loss of donations and readership. He says that LSN needs major change to survive: “With common sense return to the incredibly successful founding mission and a return to collaborative management, rather than top-down, one person control, it stands a very good chance of tremendous renewal for the good of all.” Jalsevac’s X post was subsequently deleted, presumably to be replaced by the shorter corporate message.

July 9 2025 5:39pm EDT:               In the corporate message to readers and supporters, LSN Co-founder Steve Jalsevac addresses “the speculation surrounding this decision and provide clarity on behalf of LifeSiteNews. The board’s decision was made with careful deliberation, much prayer, and a steadfast commitment to our mission of promoting truth, life, and family values.”

He goes on: “While legal constraints prevent us from delving into extensive detail, I can share that the decision was influenced by several factors, including a 72 percent drop in readership from 2021 to 2024 during John-Henry’s tenure as CEO, a decline in monthly and new donors, and other business challenges. Additionally, an internal survey revealed significant concerns regarding staff sentiment and safety scores, which further informed the board’s considerations.”

In his The Truth Comes Out article, Jackson concludes that Westen was fired for telling the truth; i.e. that Westen was indeed correct to say that the Pope isn’t Catholic enough. But along the way the statements that Jackson analyses also demonstrate that there are far fewer traditionalist Catholics supporting LifeSiteNews and that the media outlet’s numbers suffer when they abandon the broader audience of pro-lifers, many of whom are not Catholic.

So now we wait to see what lies ahead for Westen. There has been mention of a “new venture” ..

Westen was not the only one let go

At the same time as they let Westen go, the board of LifeSiteNews also dispensed with staff journalist, Stephen Kokx. On July 7 2025, Kokx posted on X, “after eight years of working at LifeSite I am forced to announce that as of today I am actively seeking employment elsewhere.” Kokx subsequently started a gofundme.com campaign seeking funds to replace the salary he no longer earns (with a disclaimer saying Westen is not involved in Kokx’s appeal). His campaign for donations from the public surely puts the onus on LifeSiteNews to explain why Kokx was terminated.