About 50 people from a group representing a dozen Cleveland Catholic parishes ordered closed by Bishop Richard Lennon have condemned the closings in a protest outside St John's Cathedral and the bishop's office. The Plain Dealer reports that five people recited the rosary while others chanted, "Close the church, tear down the steeple! It's all about money, not about people!"
The group known as "Endangered Catholics" believes Lennon was too dictatorial when he ordered in March the closing of 50 parishes in the eight-county diocese.
The protesters say the bishop, in some cases, ignored parishioners' input in the closing process and made his own decisions without explanations.
A statement handed out at the protest by a diocese official said, "It is apparent that in each case, these protesting parishes were unable to comply with the criteria for a 'vibrant' parish."
The protesters disagreed and said they plan to build their resistance and march every Wednesday at 4 p.m. outside the diocese offices.
"The bishop thinks this has all died down, but we're saying, 'No, we're not going anywhere soon,' " said Marian Beresh of Sacred Heart church in Akron.
Endangered Catholics was formed in early May and has met four times to plot strategies to save their churches.
The group has hired a canon lawyer for guidance on how to appeal the closings to the Vatican in Rome.
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