Bishop Richard Lennon of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland was scheduled to meet this week with representatives of the Community of St. Peter, a congregation that left the diocese after the bishop closed their church. Diocese spokesman Robert Tayek said Monday that Lennon, who last month excommunicated the community's pastor, the Rev. Robert Marrone, made the offer to meet with the community's 11 board members.
"They have accepted," Tayek said in a statement.
The private meeting was Friday, said community board member Frank Titas, adding that Lennon wants to discuss "the present situation."
"We represent the members of the community," said Titas. "We have a duty to respect the office of the bishop, go hear what he has to say and bring back the message to the community for discussion."
Titas said the meeting, according to the diocese, was to focus on two topics -- "the importance of unity among Catholics" and "the Second Vatican Council's teachings on membership in the church."
"We don't really know what's going to come out of this discussion," he said.
It was the board's first meeting with Lennon who once warned members of the community that their salvation was in jeopardy for partaking in worship services outside the authority of the diocese.
Marrone, former pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church in downtown Cleveland, broke away from the diocese after Lennon closed his church in 2010 as part of a diocesewide downsizing.
The pastor and more than 300 parishioners formed a nonprofit group, the Community of St. Peter, and rented renovated space in an old warehouse on Euclid Avenue at East 71st Street where they have been celebrating Masses each Sunday since August 2010.
The split created a standoff between Marrone and Lennon as the two exchanged icy letters and held their respective ground.
In March, Lennon declared Marrone excommunicated, saying "Father Marrone's recent actions have been in direct defiance of the church's teachings and authority."
"It is with sadness," Lennon continued, "that in accordance with (church) law, I publicly declare that the Rev. Robert J. Marrone has elected to disassociate himself from the church."
Marrone did not publicly respond to Lennon's edict. He could not be reached Monday for comment about his board's upcoming meeting with the bishop.
In the wake of Lennon's action, the diocese said that the excommunication of Marrone did not mean his followers were excommunicated as well.
But the diocese said that since Marrone was forbidden to administer the sacraments, members of the Community of St. Peter were not receiving true Holy Communion from him.
The community has continued to celebrate Masses.