BishopAccountability.org
	Parishioners from Churches Ordered Closed Will Protest outside Bishop Richard Lennon's Office By Michael O'Malley Plain Dealer June 17, 2009 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1245227690164350.xml&coll=2 Parishioners from at least 10 Catholic churches ordered closed by Bishop Richard Lennon have scheduled a protest march today outside the bishop's office in downtown Cleveland. The group, known as "Endangered Catholics," plans to hand out copies of a statement claiming Lennon's closing of 50 parishes in the eight-county diocese was an "injustice" to all Catholics. "It is our bedrock belief that no parish should be closed, suppressed or merged without consent of the parishioners," the statement reads in part. The group is questioning why Lennon, in some cases, did not follow the recommendations of grass-roots committees known as cluster groups when he announced the closings in March. The downsizing was prompted by a shortage of priests, cash and congregants. The committees, made up of representatives of parishes grouped by geographical areas, met for nearly two years to come up with ways to downsize. But the final decisions rested with Lennon, who never publicly disclosed his reasons for choosing which churches to close. "If the bishop can do something this big regardless of what the faithful say, then he can do anything," said Bob Kloos, a parishioner at St. Peter in downtown Cleveland, one of the churches to be closed. "We need to challenge this whole thing," Kloos said. "He's no more baptized than we are." Diocese spokesman Robert Tayek, responding in an e-mail, said the downsizing process included three levels of review and a formal appeals process. "It is apparent that in each case, these protesting parishes were unable to comply with the criteria for a 'vibrant' parish," he said. Kloos said the group plans to protest from 4 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday. "Maybe it's going to get some response from the bishop," he said. The group has met four times since it was formed in early May. It will consult with a canon lawyer next month for guidance on appeals to the Vatican in Rome. Also, Catholic activist Peter Borre of Boston, who has been battling church closings in that city, is coming to Cleveland later this month to meet with the group. Borre is involved with a number of appeals and regularly flies to Rome to file legal papers. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: Contact: momalley@plaind.com, 216-999-4893
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