Swiss Court Says Labor Law Forbids Bishop from Removing Dissident Priest from Parish

  • Thread starter Thread starter Linda_Marie
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Linda_Marie

Guest
Link
Swiss Court Says Labor Law Forbids Bishop from Removing Dissident Priest from Parish
Priest repudiated essential Catholic teachings on marriage and homosexuality and criticized Vatican
Click to expand...
By Peter J. Smith
Click to expand...
ZURICH, September 7, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Swiss court has ruled that a Catholic bishop has no authority to remove a rebel priest from his parish post under Switzerland’s labour laws.
Click to expand...
The Basel Country cantonal court decided that Father Franz Sabo will remain at the parish of Röschenz as a parish administrator, despite the countervailing orders from Basel Bishop Kurt Koch.
Click to expand...
Fr. Sabo has been supported by the majority of Röschenz parishioners, whom he served as pastor from 1998-2005. Fr. Sabo was removed from his pastorate in 2005 after he publicly reviled Bishop Koch and repudiated essential Catholic teachings on marriage and homosexuality.
Click to expand...
So now how is the Church supposed to protect the faithful in Switzerland from being taught error? No wonder Pope Benedict has said that the Church is going to be much smaller.

This makes me very sad.

O Holy Spirit, I ask you to enlighten their minds and hearts with the Truth. May you soften hearts hardened with contention and bring them all back to the Light.
Through Christ our Lord
Amen
 
The Swiss court’s deliberate intrusion in the Catholic Church’s disciplinary matters and self-governance not only renders Bishop Koch powerless to oversee the proper teaching of the Catholic faith within his diocese, but sets a precedent that may carry ramifications for other bishops in Switzerland and Europe dealing with dissident priests and parishes.
Click to expand...
Is anyone else alarmed by this???
 
Well, the relationship between church and state in various European countries is different from the US. There are some advantages for the Church in places where the government collects a church tax or supports Catholic education with tax dollars. However, it appears that getting too involved with the government may have drawbacks as seen in this case. I am not alarmed. They’ll work this out their own way.
 
What worries me most about this is that there are some in our US courts that tend to follow INTERNATIONAL precedent. And we in the USA have many priests that tend to
do their “own thing”.
 
No matter where it happens, we have a moral obligation to ignore those judgments. If I were the Bishop, all those parishioners and the priest should be publicly excommunicated.

I was planning on visiting Switzerland next year. Looks like that will be on hold unless the ruling is reverse.
 
blessedtoo said:
Is anyone else alarmed by this???
Click to expand...
Not surprised at this at all. And I won’t be surprised when the same thing happens in the US. We’re heading that direction. The Constitution doesn’t mean anything here anymore when it comes to people getting what they want.
WanderAimlessly said:
No matter where it happens, we have a moral obligation to ignore those judgments. If I were the Bishop, all those parishioners and the priest should be publicly excommunicated.

I was planning on visiting Switzerland next year. Looks like that will be on hold unless the ruling is reverse.
Click to expand...
You’re right. The Bishop has an obligation to ignore the “authorities” and do the job God assigned him. Even if it means prison time. We should pray for God to strengthen these Bishops. They need it.
 
Lay Investiture and Simony were the principle issues supporting the Protestant revolt in Germany and Switzerland. It seems they still are.

CDL
 
During the build up to the Iraq war some American’s had the idea, to protest France’s reluctance to help, call French Fries, FREEDOM FRIES. I had to chuckle at that!!

So perhaps we should do the same with the Swiss. Now we know that the Swiss are famous for chocolate. So what should we call Swiss Chocolate then?

Also can anyone tell me how Labor issues are connected with Religious Organizations? Are Swiss Priests part of a Union??
 
blessedtoo
Quote:
The Swiss court’s deliberate intrusion in the Catholic Church’s disciplinary matters and self-governance not only renders Bishop Koch powerless to oversee the proper teaching of the Catholic faith within his diocese, but sets a precedent that may carry ramifications for other bishops in Switzerland and Europe dealing with dissident priests and parishes.
Click to expand...
Is anyone else alarmed by this???
Click to expand...
If he were defrocked and excommunicated for extreme disobedience and heretical beliefs, would the Swiss law still consider him covered by whatever law they used, or would they still say that the Church has no authority in this?

It is as bad as China dictating who can be a bishop and a clear case of what the 1st Amendment is supposed to protect against. I don’t think this Constitutional protection is going to last much longer in the US.

We have seen Americans’ right to practice our faith abridged in that we can’t wear items, like a crucifix, that declare our personal faith in some workplaces, we can’t pray on the steps of the Capitol Building or a courthouse or other public building, we can’t pray in schools. Catholic Health Insurance is required to cover abortions and birth control and measures have been put in place to force Catholic Charities to allow the adoption of children by homosexuals in direct opposition to our teachings.

Is it really that much bigger a step to the State telling us who we can have as priests and how we can remove those who teach error? “You can’t fire someone just because he holds a different opinion than you. That would be abridging his right to free speech.” If the Supreme Court can find a right to abortion in the 14th Amendment, I’m sure they could find a duty to interfere in the internal functioning of the Church somewhere in this ‘living document’. How about the State requiring the Church to ordain women because the labour laws say you can’t discriminate on the basis of sex? After this court ruling, I can certainly see this happening next in Switzerland.

What can the Church do to preserve itself and its teachings?
 
Oppose Lay Investiture and take no money from the State as in Simony.

CDL
 
KathleenElsie said:
What worries me most about this is that there are some in our US courts that tend to follow INTERNATIONAL precedent. And we in the USA have many priests that tend to
do their “own thing”.
Click to expand...
No need to worry. All judges in the USA are bound by the Constitution and in particular the first amendment. We get testy on this list when crosses are removed from public places, but the same constitution will keep the state out of the business of the church.

Nohome
 
OriginalJS said:
Well, the relationship between church and state in various European countries is different from the US. There are some advantages for the Church in places where the government collects a church tax or supports Catholic education with tax dollars. However, it appears that getting too involved with the government may have drawbacks as seen in this case. I am not alarmed. They’ll work this out their own way.
Click to expand...
Very good point. The line between church and state is much more clear in the United States. Switzerland supports their churches through taxation. I read that a propsal to formally separate church and state was soundly defeated in 1980.

Nohome
 
Nohome said:
No need to worry. All judges in the USA are bound by the Constitution and in particular the first amendment. We get testy on this list when crosses are removed from public places, but the same constitution will keep the state out of the business of the church.

Nohome
Click to expand...
Sure I will have no fear or worry that the US courts will make law and not just enforce it.:whacky: :banghead: :rotfl: :rotfl:
 
Maybe this bishop should do what the Mexican Bishops did after the Mexican revolution put an anti-Catholic regime in power, which imposed impossible laws on the Church: they simply closed down the parishes.
 
childofmary1143 said:
During the build up to the Iraq war some American’s had the idea, to protest France’s reluctance to help, call French Fries, FREEDOM FRIES. I had to chuckle at that!!

So perhaps we should do the same with the Swiss. Now we know that the Swiss are famous for chocolate. So what should we call Swiss Chocolate then?
Click to expand...
I think we should start calling Swiss cheese “holey cheese.”
 
OriginalJS said:
Well, the relationship between church and state in various European countries is different from the US. There are some advantages for the Church in places where the government collects a church tax or supports Catholic education with tax dollars. However, it appears that getting too involved with the government may have drawbacks as seen in this case. I am not alarmed. They’ll work this out their own way.
Click to expand...
I agree in general, but in this case, I don’t know that the ruling was based on the Church receiving tax exemptions.

Still, I have to wonder if the Swiss courts would protect a private-industry spokesperson who was fired for publicly disagreeing with his or her employer and saying disparaging things about its products or services. Putting religion aside, is this situation any different?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top