ELDERLY PRO-LIFER ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT HIS San Mateo (San Francisco Archdiocese) PARISH! pleads not guilty; trial set for Jan. 22

[Angels_Watchin]

calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=ae303dec-24be-42ab-ac7b-7ba82f9112be

*Ross Foti, the pro-life activist arrested after coming onto the grounds of St. Matthew’s Church in San Mateo last November, pleaded not guilty to charges of trespass on Dec. 27.

** -“Ross did write to the** vicar for clergy of the archdiocese** [of San Francisco],”(listed as** Fr. Bill Justice** on the archdiocesan website) said Short, “and he got a letter back that said, , ****I write to tell you that I support [Fr. McGuire’s] request that you withdraw permanently from St. Matthew Church. As pastor Fr. McGuire does have the right to make this decision and he does so after taking into account the best interests of all members of the parish and school community.’” …

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When she read the letter, Short said she thought, “Wow, what you’re saying is, somebody doesn’t have to have done anything legally wrong, canonically wrong; a pastor can decide to expel someone ‘in the best interests of the community.’ I frankly think that is something people should know. It puts in a whole new light this tolerance of pro-abortion politicians. Wouldn’t it be in the best interests of a parish that it not be scandalized by the presence of pro-abortion politicians?”

Another situation brewing in Archbishop Niederauer’s San Francisco
(previous situations linked here:
qdomine.com/
and here:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=193929

 

[Dale_M]

Hmmm… this sounds like a complicated situation.
California Catholic Daily:

Foti, 73, has long been a controversial figure at St. Matthew’s. Last year, parents of children at the parish school began complaining about Foti’s truck, displaying graphic signs of aborted babies, which he parked on a public street adjacent to the school.

In September, Foti, at the request of St. Matthew’s pastor, Fr. Anthony McGuire, agreed to cover the offending signs on his truck when it was parked near the church. Later, when Foti, according to McGuire, reneged on a promise never to attend the Friday children’s’ Mass (Foti said the ban was temporary), McGuire told him he was permanently banned from the parish.

calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=ae303dec-24be-42ab-ac7b-7ba82f9112be
San Mateo County Times:

Foti claims he was actually worshipping — not protesting — when he came to St. Matthew on Nov. 10 and Nov. 13, but prosecutors say that church officials gave him fair warning that he was no longer welcome at church.

Foti was placed under citizen’s arrest by the Rev. Anthony McGuire after he appeared at church on Nov. 13.

McGuire had already written Foti a sharply worded letter in September, informing the anti-abortion activist that he was no longer welcome because he would not abide by an earlier agreement to cover the signs on his truck.

Nonetheless, Foti defended himself after his court appearance on Thursday, explaining that McGuire had initially asked him only to cover the images — not the words — on his truck. Any further requests made by McGuire were a violation of the initial agreement, Foti said.

Shortly after church officials denied Foti access to the church, he was served with a court order to stop harassing children with the graphic images. The order was filed by one of the parents whose children attend school at the church.

Foti said he is still waiting for a public apology from the school’s parents regarding the restraining order and awaits the opportunity to defend himself on the trespassing charges.

insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/ci_7827917