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	Biloxi Bishop Sends Letter to St. Paul's Parishioners Asking Them to Drop Lawsuit By Don Culpepper WLOX February 25, 2008 http://www.wlox.com/global/story.asp?s=7918400 [with video] For almost a year , they've met on the steps of their hurricane battered church every Sunday morning, hoping for an answer to their prayers. But the only answer they received recently, came in the form of a letter from Bishop Thomas Rodi, implying that Pope Benedict himself wants them to end their disagreement with the church. "There was 3 scriptural passages, and his urgent request that we drop the lawsuit," says Parishioner Frank Schmidt. The lawsuit, brought by parishioner Frank Schmidt along with 155 others, came as an appeal of the Diocese's decision to merge St. Pauls with Our Lady of Lourdes and build a new church away from the beach. "We felt like we were driven to do that," says Schmidt. "Nobody likes to sue the church, sue the bishop, sue the pastor." But the parishioners canon law appeal referenced in the Bishop's letter, which was rejected by the Vatican, has nothing to do with what Parishioners and Attorney Henry Kinney says are two simple secular questions raised by their civil suit. "The bishop signed a trust document," says Kinney. "The trust document says he has to keep this property in trust for the members of the congregation of St. Pauls. We're asking the court to define the limits of that trust. Their second question is what will happen to the money raised to rebuild St .Pauls. "We now know that it's not going to be used for that," says Kinney. "What happened to those donation, and what are they going to do with it." Questions parishioners say are for the court to decide and not the church. "We appreciate his interest," says Schmidt. "But it's very unlikely the suit will be dropped." Kinney says he expects a ruling on motions filed in the case in the next couple of weeks. No trial date has been set.
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