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Bishop De Angelis takes shot at rights tribunal in pastoral letter
Written by Michael Swan, The Catholic Register,
Ontario’s Human Right Tribunal “has no authority to place itself as an arbiter of canonical precepts,” Peterborough Bishop Nicola De Angelis told the Catholics of his diocese in a Sept. 10 pastoral letter.
De Angelis wrote the letter “with sadness of heart” as the follow up to a June 17 Human Rights Tribunal complaint against him and the diocese for dismissing a gay altar server. St. Anne’s Spa owner Jim Corcoran claims he suffered discrimination based on his sexual orientation when De Angelis acted on a letter from 12 St. Michael’s parishioners in Cobourg, Ont., asking why after the bishops of Canada urged the faithful to lobby against same-sex marriage a homosexual couple was allowed to serve on the altar at their church.
“To serve on any parish committee… or to assist at the various liturgies… is not a right,” wrote De Angelis in his pastoral message. “Rather, it is an invitation from the pastor or bishop, which can also be terminated at any time; particularly, when the voluntary service gives rise to tension, animosity, discord or division in the life of the parish.”
In the letter De Angelis claims he directed St. Michael’s pastor Fr. Allan Hood to ask a number of parish volunteers to step aside and allow others to take their place.
“For some, the relinquishing of their volunteer position was a source of sadness and frustration. Yet, they did so in humility and obedience to the bishop. The only exception was one adult altar server, who made the decision to report the bishop and the diocese to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal,” wrote De Angelis.
This is the first time the bishop has mentioned any general rotation of volunteers, Corcoran told The Catholic Register.
“There are no other volunteers who have been routinely rotated in Fr. Hood’s tenure,” Corcoran said.
“I can honestly say that I treated all the volunteers the same, with equal respect and dignity,” wrote De Angelis. “I am at a loss to understand how there has been any misinterpretation of a practical decision made with honesty and without any discrimination.”
Corcoran believes the real issue is not his Human Rights Tribunal complaint, but a group within St. Michael’s parish trying to undermine Hood.
“You’ve got a group of people who have a very personal axe to grind against a good priest,” said Corcoran.
“For the good of the parish community, more than once I encouraged the pastor to renew the volunteers in light of irresolvable tensions and divisions, which were deleterious to the spiritual life of the parish,” said De Angelis.
Curia officials in Peterborough ruled out a Catholic Register interview with De Angelis.
“That’s his comment, that’s all I can say — the letter, that’s his comment,” said Fr. Joseph Devereaux, head of the diocesan marriage tribunal.
catholicregister.org/content/view/3409/849/
Written by Michael Swan, The Catholic Register,
Ontario’s Human Right Tribunal “has no authority to place itself as an arbiter of canonical precepts,” Peterborough Bishop Nicola De Angelis told the Catholics of his diocese in a Sept. 10 pastoral letter.
De Angelis wrote the letter “with sadness of heart” as the follow up to a June 17 Human Rights Tribunal complaint against him and the diocese for dismissing a gay altar server. St. Anne’s Spa owner Jim Corcoran claims he suffered discrimination based on his sexual orientation when De Angelis acted on a letter from 12 St. Michael’s parishioners in Cobourg, Ont., asking why after the bishops of Canada urged the faithful to lobby against same-sex marriage a homosexual couple was allowed to serve on the altar at their church.
“To serve on any parish committee… or to assist at the various liturgies… is not a right,” wrote De Angelis in his pastoral message. “Rather, it is an invitation from the pastor or bishop, which can also be terminated at any time; particularly, when the voluntary service gives rise to tension, animosity, discord or division in the life of the parish.”
In the letter De Angelis claims he directed St. Michael’s pastor Fr. Allan Hood to ask a number of parish volunteers to step aside and allow others to take their place.
“For some, the relinquishing of their volunteer position was a source of sadness and frustration. Yet, they did so in humility and obedience to the bishop. The only exception was one adult altar server, who made the decision to report the bishop and the diocese to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal,” wrote De Angelis.
This is the first time the bishop has mentioned any general rotation of volunteers, Corcoran told The Catholic Register.
“There are no other volunteers who have been routinely rotated in Fr. Hood’s tenure,” Corcoran said.
“I can honestly say that I treated all the volunteers the same, with equal respect and dignity,” wrote De Angelis. “I am at a loss to understand how there has been any misinterpretation of a practical decision made with honesty and without any discrimination.”
Corcoran believes the real issue is not his Human Rights Tribunal complaint, but a group within St. Michael’s parish trying to undermine Hood.
“You’ve got a group of people who have a very personal axe to grind against a good priest,” said Corcoran.
“For the good of the parish community, more than once I encouraged the pastor to renew the volunteers in light of irresolvable tensions and divisions, which were deleterious to the spiritual life of the parish,” said De Angelis.
Curia officials in Peterborough ruled out a Catholic Register interview with De Angelis.
“That’s his comment, that’s all I can say — the letter, that’s his comment,” said Fr. Joseph Devereaux, head of the diocesan marriage tribunal.
catholicregister.org/content/view/3409/849/