GALLUP (NM)
Independent
By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Apparently the war will continue in the Diocese of Gallup. And like all wars, it looks like everyone will suffer.
It's the frequently discussed, but rarely publicized, legal battle between Bishop Donald E. Pelotte and Father Jerry T. Mesley, the Diocese of Gallup priest who had his priestly faculties removed by the bishop in September 1997 over allegations of misappropriation of funds at St. Jerome Parish in Gallup, which was closed by the diocese in 1996, and Immaculate Conception Parish in Cuba, N.M.
Although documents from the Vatican confirm that Pelotte lost his most recent legal challenge, Pelotte is hardly conceding to Mesley.
Or, apparently, to the Vatican either.
In a press release dated Dec. 6, 2004, Pelotte's chancery office issued a statement about Mesley that shot across the diocese like a shotgun blast. The Independent was not issued a copy of the press release but obtained a copy of it on Thursday, Dec. 9, from angry diocesan personnel. Copies of the Vatican's Congregation of the Clergy documents, dated March 13, 2001, and Nov. 18, 2004, were also provided to the newspaper.
Posted by kshaw at December 13, 2004 06:12 AM