News: Boston Archdiocese to Sell 6 Churches

[KWR_1]

sanluisobispo.com/2011/07/14/1682299/boston-cardinal-omalley-to-sell.html

Cardinal Sean O’Malley has paved the way for the Boston Archdiocese to sell six churches, including three where parishioners have been holding protest vigils since their parishes were closed in 2004.

The decision announced Thursday after several weeks of “consultation, reflection and prayer” means the churches are no longer holy places, but secular buildings.

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[Dale_M]

This has been a long time in coming. The vigils have been held, to varying success, for seven years. And the archdiocese has gone out of its way to be accommodating, not turning off the electricity or heat and not evicting people.

The parishes have already appealed to the Vatican, a process that eventually resulted in a formal rejection of their appeal more than a year ago by the Apostolic Signatura, the highest court. Then, after some hesitation, the leaders said they would make a direct appeal to the Pope
October 2010 article:

Peter Borre, head of the Council of Parishes, which represents Catholics opposed to closing the parishes, said he handed the appeal today to a member of the Swiss Guard at the Vatican. Borre said he was assured that the appeal would be routed to a top Vatican official.

“It is the last step in a process that’s been going on for over six years,” Borre said by cellphone from Italy this afternoon.

He said the parishes had exhausted their options under church law and were now making a policy appeal to Pope Benedict."

boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/10/activists_try_l.html

Cardinal O’Malley said that he would not take action until the formal appeal was concluded. But that was more than a year ago.