REBEL priest Peter Kennedy has begun moves under Catholic canon law to thwart his sacking by Brisbane Archbishop John Bathersby for contravening the church's liturgy. Father Kennedy's dismissal from St Mary's of South Brisbane - believed to the first of its kind within Australia's Catholic Church - was to become effective next Saturday, with his last mass in the parish tomorrow, after 50 years as a priest.
Under a formal appeal made this week to Archbishop Bathersby, his ousting could be delayed indefinitely as the case might be determined in Rome, before an ultimate decision by the Pope.
Father Kennedy said he was also considering legal advice over possible action in Queensland's industrial courts, claiming unfair dismissal.
Dr Bathersby sacked Father Kennedy in a letter sent this month after a dispute over the use of lay people and politically correct language in services.
Father Kennedy told The Weekend Australian he believed he had been denied natural justice by Dr Bathersby.
"His letter came as a surprise," Father Kennedy said.
"I had been led to believe that would be a formal process, whereby I could put my case to the archbishop and an investigation into the claims against me would be carried out. Archbishop Bathersby didn't give me that right and I have moved to appeal under canon law and am also looking at civil law."
St Mary's contravenes Catholic doctrine by involving women in services and allowing sermons by lay people.
Ken Howell, dean of Brisbane's St Stephen's Cathedral, will run the parish until a new administrator is appointed.
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Sotto Voce
(Source: GRCN)
The paragraph below from the above posting seems to be the "norm" within the Catholic Church no matter what part of the world you live in or what the case is about.
ReplyDelete"I had been led to believe that would be a formal process, whereby I could put my case to the archbishop and an investigation into the claims against me would be carried out. Archbishop Bathersby didn't give me that right and I have moved to appeal under canon law and am also looking at civil law."
Below is the same paragraph with few words deleted replaced by others in capitals regarding my case against the Church so as anyone can see the same system is operated by the Church no matter who they are dealing with.
"I had been led to believe that THERE would be a formal process, whereby I could put my case to the archbishop (AND BISHOP) and an investigation into the claims against me would be carried out. Archbishop DIARMUID MARTIN AND THE BISHOP didn't give me that right and I AM LOOKING to appeal under canon law FOR MY LOSS OF RIGHTS IN CHURCH GROUPS IN MY PARISH WHICH HAVE NO CONNECTION TO MY UNFAIR DISMISSAL CASE and HAVE also APPEALED UNDER civil law TO THE RESULTS OF THE UNFAIR DISMISSAL BECAUSE OF EVIDENCE GIVEN BY DR. DAMIAN MOHAN EMPLOYED AND PAID FOR BY THE CHURCH, WHICH DEFINITELY PREJUDICED MY HEARING."
The higher ups in the ranks like to play GOD and do not wish to be questioned or answerable to anyone but it is time they learned when you liVe in a democracy you are entitled both to ask questions about decisions they have made and be given the opportunity to give your side of the story and have the others who quite possibly caused the problems in the first place investigated and made answerable for their mistakes and cover ups and toleration of staff with porn in the Church Parish Centre.