The St. Louis parish fighting Archbishop Raymond Burke over control of the parish has voted to not to comply with the archbishop’s order. I have to wonder: is the archbishop actually demanding the parish turn over $9.5 million or are the reporters playing fast and loose with what the archbishop actually wants? Is the archdiocese really just demanding that the parish fall under the authority of the archbishop and his appointed pastor?
In any case, the effect of the vote is schism. These people have placed themselves and their parish outside of the bounds of the Church by rejecting the lawful and legitimate authority of their bishop. Witness the ignorance of Catholic teaching:
“I’m still going to be a Catholic, like it or not,” said board member Stan Novak, a retired electrical safety coordinator. “The archbishop and the other officials need to understand that they’re working for us. They have to get along with us, because we’re the ones supporting them.”
