Boston archdiocese tells dissidents to end 12-year occupation of parish
May 17, 2016
The Archdiocese of Boston has given a group of dissidents two weeks to end their occupation of a parish in Scituate, Massachusetts, which was officially closed in 2004.
The "Friends of St. Francis Cabrini," who have been keeping vigil in the church building, had reached an agreement with the archdiocese last year to vacate the building if the US Supreme Court declined to hear their appeal of a court order for their eviction. The Supreme Court has now declined the case, exhausting the group's long series of appeals to both canonical and secular courts.
A spokesman for the Friends, Jon Rogers, told the Boston Herald that his group was disappointed by the Supreme Court's decision, but insisted that the long occupation of the closed church had produced positive results. He suggested that the group would now establish a new church, separate from the Catholic archdiocese.
The Archdiocese of Boston has been paying about $80,000 annually in maintenance costs for the Scituate church during the years of occupation. As part of last year's agreement with the Friends, the archdiocese said that it would not take legal action against the group to recover those costs.
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Further information:
- Archdiocese: Scituate parishioners must vacate church within 2 weeks (Boston Herald)
- Boston archdiocese, parishioners reach accord to end 11-year stalemate at closed church (CWN, 12/23/15)
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Posted by: Terri11 -
May. 17, 2016 7:14 PM ET USA
"He suggested that the group would now establish a new church, separate from the Catholic archdiocese." I predicted this 11 years ago. Disobedience breeds disobedience. What's shameful is any priests who participated. Having lived in Boston for many years, it was clear that churches needed to be closed. They are the legacy of a once full Catholic church that has dwindled as the Catholic population has dwindled. Some had only 50 people left, some were within 1-2 miles of other churches.
