There were court hearings this week in the lawsuit trying to keep the Archdiocese of Boston from closing what was St. Albert the Great parish in Weymouth. Most of it is what we’ve heard before, although the article certainly wasn’t as prejudicial against the archdiocese since it was written by an AP reporter, not the Boston Globe‘s own Bella English. Anyway, we have the following exchange reported:
O’Malley’s spokesman, the Rev. Christopher Coyne, was confronted by several parishioners after the court hearing. One parishioner, Sandy Jones, interrupted Coyne repeatedly as he tried to talk to reporters after the hearing.
“Have you ever been to Weymouth? Have you been to our parish?” Jones shouted.
Coyne ended the interviews when Jones refused to stop interrupting him.
“I’m very angry,” Jones said afterward. “They’re liars. They lied to us about the abuse and they covered it up.”
Whatever the merits of the case or the parishioners’ accusations, this episode illustrates the extent of the damage done by the Scandal. The trust between bishops and the flock has been broken and repairing will take a very long time, probably not in our lifetimes. Everytime a bishop appears to go against the what some people want, whether justly or unjustly, we’ll hear the same mantra: “We can’t believe you because you’re liars.” Whether it’s true of the individual bishop or not, those who did lie have ruined it for the rest of them.
Update: Ah, here is Bella English’s more prejudiced version of events.
Whatever the merits of the case or the parishionersmight end up with a “flip of the coyne!!”
I just read in my paper up here in the boonies that “members of the congregation have conducted an around-the-clock prayer vigil——volunteering in shifts and sleeping in pews——that has prevented church officials from shuttering the building.” It says that they have sued to keep the church open. What do they think they can do? Will they be in schism? I am curious as to what they think they can accomplish by this. Can you give me some thoughts on this?
The people think they can pressure the archdiocese into backing off. Failing that they want ownership of the church so they can set up an “independent Catholic parish” outside the control of the archbishop. Apparently no one has told them that there is no such thing and that if they continue on that path they will be in schism and outside of the Catholic Church.
The transition to the Unitarian Church should be a smooth and seemless transition for Mr. Coyne and his cult. Mr. Coyne and Mr. Josoma were the “co-pastors” of my church in Dorchester for several long heretical years.
Another update, NBC news had a feature story on this debacle tonight. Biased of course, I really feel sad for these people. Has anyone noticed that there 2 Coynes involved here?? (One is the diocese representative) I could be sarcastic and say that it might end up with a “flip of the coyne!!”
I feel sad for these people, too. Because they just don’t seem to understand that it’s not about one’s marriage, or baptism, or the First Holy Communion, or the funerals, or the whatever. It’s Jesus. He’s available, live and in Person, in the scores of Catholic churches not just in the Archdiocese of Boston but in all the tabernacles thoughout the world.
They don’t get that. He instituted the Eucharist, established the priesthood, and then, to top it off, he bleepin’ DIED for us.
But hey, let’s be “nice.” After all, a parish building is so much more important. Isn’t it. It’s so…Community Oriented And All.
Sheesh.