Here’s another example of why these parish closing sit-ins are not a good idea. At Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in East Boston the protesters have split over an invitation to a schismatic group of nuns to participate.
Most of these protesters are neither traditionalist nor liberal, they’re just people in the pew with an average, i.e. little, understanding of those hot-button issues that, for example, drive the blogosphere wild. I can see why some of the people in East Boston would see no problem with inviting these nuns to help out: they have problems with Rome, too, and look they must be good because they wear full habits.
Some of the parishioners feared the nuns planned to take over the church and convert Mount Carmel parishioners to their brand of religion.
“They came looking to open up a church in the Northeast,” said parishioner Gina Scalcione, who said she and another parishioner were injured in a scuffle Jan. 3 when the nuns and their Mount Carmel supporters tried to enter the church. Boston police arrived and eventually escorted the nuns into and out of the church that evening, according to police and people who were present.
I’m afraid that some of these fringe groups will look at these protesting parishes and, let’s admit it, sometimes naive people as ripe for the picking. It’s the Protestant Reformation all over again.
