This story appears in the Fall bishops' meeting 2013 feature series. View the full series.
November 11, 2013
Mark Silk, at RNS, on the VERY BIG threat to religious liberty posed by the settlement in the Fr. Fugee case in Newark. To be clear, the civil court has NO business insisting on the de-frocking of a priest as part of a civil settlement. And, it be just as clear, it is only the ridiculously bad handling of the Fugee case by Archbishop Myers that led to this situation. The USCCB should spend less time worrying about insurance policies and more time worrying about how their own members are bringing an unprecedented degree of governmental interference in the life of the Church. But, I won't hold my breath.