St Mary of the Angels Priest Faces Ecclesiastical Trial by ACA
July 29, 2012 7 Comments
Breaking news - on SUNDAY - just out over at Virtue Online.
On second thought: You can read about it there.
Very sad the way things are going over there…
TAC Priest in South Africa.
7 Responses to St Mary of the Angels Priest Faces Ecclesiastical Trial by ACA
Post a Comment
Your Comments…
Help… Support…
News Headlines
- Anthony Weiner mixes up New York skyline with Pittsburgh
- Five climbers feared dead after going missing on Kanchenjunga
- Zambian truck driver bites and stabs giant python
- Ruby the Heart Stealer admits lying about bunga bunga parties
- Syria: Bashar al-Assad agrees 'in principle' to head to peace conference
- 12-year-old girl found hanged 'was cyber-bullied'
- Chinese farmer creates his own 'bionic' arms from scratch
- Barack Obama calls on military to stamp out sexual assault
- Sting opens up his Tuscan villa - at a price
A Global Blog!
And my Wish List…
One of the most ill-written ‘official’ letters I have ever read, full of snide remarks, ill-constructed sentences and grandiloquent pronouncements. Gosh, I wonder what decision Bishop Strawn will come to, given the attacks on Fr Kelley in this letter from his Canon to the Ordinary? The smaller the body, the more ludicrous the ‘legal’ procedures.
I posted the following at Virtue Online, and I’ll repeat it here. (I agree with CatholicLeftwinger on Morello’s stylistic infelicities):
This letter omits the following contexts:
1. The Los Angeles Superior Court ruled on June 13, 2012, that the charges of financial irregularity against Fr Kelley were without basis.
2. The Los Angeles Superior Court ruled on June 13, 2012, that the ACA in fact did not have jurisdiction over St Mary of the Angels. Morello’s continuing claim that it does is not holding up in subsequent legal action.
3. David Moyer, as bishop in authority at the time, reviewed the charges made against Kelley in the letter Morello cites and determined that they were too vague to act on.
4, Canon Morello was present at the parish on July 20, 2012, when two of his supporters attacked two parishioners and pushed one into a doorway, spraining his wrist. I’ve had no reply to my request to Bps Strawn and Marsh to clarify Morello’s role in this violence. Morello does not mention this incident in his letter.
5. Morello, Strawn, and the ACA are among the defendants in a lawsuit brought by St Mary’s, alleging conversion (i.e., theft of money and property) and interference with contract. St Mary’s is also seeking removal of the Morello-Strawn supporters now occupying the whole building. Morello makes no mention of this.
6. The ACA is so small – now just two diocesan bishops – that any panel called to judge Kelley in a trial can’t possibly be impartial.
7. The allegations he makes in the letter of Kelley being banned from the post office, IRS fraud, and so forth, need to be viewed in the context of previous unsupported charges Morello has made. For instance, he alleged that Kelley had made “outbursts” during a court hearing in May, which was contradicted by numerous witnesses.
One thing that continues to puzzle me is that the attorneys for the ACA and Morello would permit one of their clients to broadcast this sort of material when a lawsuit is in process.
And over the blogs at that. Those same people who bemoan the blogs are very quick to disseminate information via this medium.
Sent via BlackBerry
In Morello’s favor, if anything can be said that way, I don’t believe he was the one who sent it to Virtue — someone else did. However, it does indicate both a certain naivete and a defnite recklessness that he wouldn’t expect this to hit the blogosphere almost instantly. We may assume the letter has also reached St Mary’s and Kelley’s attorneys and will reach the judge in the case in due course.
It is unfortunate that when the truth is told, it always looks like one’s leadership is being attacked. How can, “leaders” accuse anyone of financial emmbezzlement when they know very well that there is no sufficient evidence to prove their case. It is immoral of “church leaders” to seek lawsuit against their clergymen for crimes they did not commit.
Let us remember the Man on the Cross. He was the first one to be persecuted. So if this priest is innocent, imagine what he will receive in Heaven. If accusations against him is true, then let justice be done, and pray for him.
This is pretty awful stuff. I don’t think we would see this kind of behavior from parishioners (or from church body leadership) in New Zealand. The longer it drags on the worse it looks on both the RC and Anglican leadership. Any further news?