NEWTON (MA)
Boston Globe
By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | September 29, 2005
In a rare decision to comment on the workings of the Roman Catholic Church, a group of non-Catholic clergy in Newton criticized Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley yesterday for the ouster of the Rev. Walter H. Cuenin.
Cuenin resigned as pastor last week from Our Lady Help of Christians Church amid allegations of financial improprieties. The decision drew strong negative reactions from the parish.
The Newton Clergy Interfaith Association, which represents more than 40 places of worship in the city, released a strongly worded statement supporting Cuenin, whom they called a ''beloved and trusted pastor."
''The grounds given by the Archdiocese of Boston for his dismissal are spurious at best," the statement said. ''While Bishop O'Malley has the power and the right to remove a priest from a parish, his moral authority to do so is clearly compromised by this punitive action."