Hands Off Lithunia Church

  • Thread starter Thread starter BobP123
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BobP123 said:
Consider this situation.

nypost.com/seven/05052007/news/regionalnews/hands_off_lithunia_church_regionalnews_dareh_gregorian.htm

This appears to be the second case in the U.S. where bishops, perhaps wrongfully, have tried to sell off Church land for whatever reasons and restrained by a judge. Will this be a trend? If so, bishops will be stripped off a very huge power they now hold.
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Canon law gives very substantial rights to the parish priest. However it was written when parishes were socially meaningful communities like villages, where most people would attend the same church for life. Nowadays the bishop moves clergy around at will as a routine management procedure, and it is usual for parishioner to spend ten years or so in a parish and then move house to another area of the city.
 
What I don’t understand is how can parishes be considered owners of their own property when their property can be sold at will by the bishop?
 
cor said:
What I don’t understand is how can parishes be considered owners of their own property when their property can be sold at will by the bishop?
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I think the issue of parish vs diocese ownership is still being decided in the U.S. Part of the problem is that the U.S. bishops are adopting opposing stances. The dioceses which have filed for bankruptcy due to the sex abuse tragedy are saying that the parishes own the property. But bishops who want to close down individual churches say that the diocese owns the property.
 
Dale_M said:
The dioceses which have filed for bankruptcy due to the sex abuse tragedy are saying that the parishes own the property.
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Do you have a cite for this? This is the first I’ve heard of a diocese taking this position.
 
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