Madison Catholic Bishop Robert Morlino has moved to quell a backlash against a group of conservative priests in Platteville by warning parishioners they risk formal church censure unless they stop spreading "rumors and gossip."
The action by Morlino, which two Catholic scholars called highly unusual, appears to include the possibility of offenders being prohibited from taking part in church sacraments such as communion, confession and burial.
The warning came in a five-page letter Wednesday from Morlino to St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Platteville. The congregation has been roiled by opposition to the traditionalist priests, who began serving the parish in June 2010.
Within months, church donations fell by more than half, and about 40 percent of the church’s 1,200 members signed a petition seeking the priests’ ouster. The church’s 77-year-old school is set to close June 1, a loss many parishioners tie directly to the collapse of donations.
The letter, in which Morlino raises the prospect of invoking the church’s Code of Canon Law against dissenters, has stunned many parishioners.
HT MKEJS FaithWatch
Bishop Morlino accepted the recommendation of the Platteville finance committee to close the school.
What the good Bishop actually wrote to the parishioners
4 comments:
What the good Bishop wrote to the parishioners: http://www.madisondiocese.org/Portals/0/Communications/Press%20Releases/120425%20St%20Mary%20Platteville%20School.pdf
Yeah! Smackdown!
(Brian from Illinois): I'm praying daily for Bishop Morlino and the Diocese of Madison. I just hope he doesn't get moved to an Archdiocese soon. Right now, there are five Archdioceses in the U.S. who are waiting for new Bishops: San Francisco, Denver, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Portland. We'll see what happens. I hope he can stay in Madison for awhile and straighten this Plattville situation out.
Prayers for Bishop Morlino and the priests in Platteville.
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