Standing up For Rights, and Its Consequences

From the Columbus Dispatch:

 

Priest who lobbied Ohio lawmakers on abuse says he was forced to retire

By Laurie Goodstein

The New York Times

Friday, January 26, 2007

 

DETROIT -- In his last Mass as pastor at the inner-city parish in Detroit where he had served for 23 years, Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton told parishioners that he was forced to step down as pastor because of his lobbying on behalf of the victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, a stance that put him in opposition to his fellow bishops.

Photo by Adam Cairns | the Dispatch

 

The news of this story came through a friend of Marla, who spoke to Bishop Gumbleton who in turn spoke to him about Marla, which is how I was connected with this. In other words, #1 those who speak out for justice are still being persecuted, and not just in other countries, but here as well, and #2 Marla still has that amazing knack of bringing people together. This is what the new friend had to say:
 

Here is Detroit, peace activists are organizing. My guess is that most of the nation's peace activists know him, but may not know of what the church is trying to do to him right now and the local organizing efforts. Bishop Gumbleton was not allowed to speak recently in Arizona because the local archdiocese would not approve.

 

And some background on Bishop Gumbleton from Wikipedia:
 

"In the past the bishop has caught attention due to his public protesting towards violent actions. In 1999 he was arrested outside The White House along with eleven other anti war protesters for disturbing the peace [4] Bishop Gumbleton has more recently been a very vocal opponent of the war in Iraq , being arrested once again outside The White House for engaging in civil disobedience, he was arrested along with United Methodist Bishop C. Joseph Sprague, Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Jody Williams and members of pacifist organisations. [5] Gumbleton has distinguished himself as being the only Roman Catholic bishop in America to have taken such action in protest of the war."

 

 

You all know how we do here at unicornhat. We let those doing the wrong know that we are watching them do the wrong, and won't get away with it. Below is a list of folks who might need to hear from you.

His Eminence, Adam Cardinal Maida                

1234 Washington Blvd.

CH -7^th Floor

Detroit, MI 48226                                           

Phone:  313-237-5816

Fax:  313-237-4642

  infodesk@aod.org

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI                            

Apostolic Palace                                                                                              

Vatican City State, 00120

Italy

(Postage required - $0.84 = 84 cents)

benedictxvi@vatican.va

And some more news stories for background:

http://www.cta-usa.org/justchurch/detroit/index.html

http://ncrcafe.org/blog/34 

http://ncrcafe.org/node/880             

http://ncrcafe.org/node/898