Cleveland Catholic bishop and breakaway congregation continue talks

[rug]

Members of the Community of St. Peter take communion during a Sunday Mass. Catholic Bishop Richard Lennon says the group has separated itself from the governance of the diocese. The community says it was forced away.Plain Dealer file

By Michael O'Malley, The Plain Dealer
on May 13, 2013 at 8:30 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio --Talks continue between Bishop Richard Lennon of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland and representatives of the Community of St. Peter, a congregation that left the diocese after the bishop closed their church.

The two sides met earlier this month to discuss the community's secession and the setting up of its own worship space in a renovated warehouse, actions that led to the excommunication in March of the group's pastor, the Rev. Robert Marrone.

During the 11/2-hour meeting on May 3, Lennon told the representatives -- members of the community's board of trustees -- that Catholic worship outside the authority of the diocese is a violation of church teachings, according to a report of the meeting in the community's recent newsletter.

Trustees and the bishop agreed to keep details of the meeting private. But The Plain Dealer obtained a copy of the newsletter sent to update members of the congregation.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/05/cleveland_catholic_bishop_and.html

http://communityofstpeter.org/

[IrishAyes]

1. I hope the community prospers and grows.

With people that dedicated, you'd think the bishop would simply re-open their congregation officially. That would be the decent, quiet, Christian way to go. Does he think Jesus would ever tell people they had to attend Mass somewhere else besides their home area? It's more than ridiculous.