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Above The Law?

This blog post is my response to the action of the Minnesota Bishops stating they would allow parishes to return to mass with capacities that violate the current emergency order of the State of Minnesota. I write this as a concerned citizen of the State of Minnesota and also as an ordained Permanent Deacon in the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis.  

I was very disappointed by Wednesday’s letter from the Bishops of Minnesota that will allow parishes, if they want, to break the current emergency order by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The tone of the letter seems to encourage parishes to do this and potentially incur legal action as has been done by the Attorney General’s office towards restaurants that have tried to open in defiance of the orders.

As a disclaimer, I believe that expressing my contrary point of view is not covered by my oath of obedience to the Bishop which I took during my ordination. When my class was on retreat with Bishop Campbell, I asked him directly about the oath of obedience and his response was that if it concerned something illegal, immoral, or unethical we were not bound to obedience. I believe this action by the Bishops falls under at least one of these categories.

The letter has put Parish leadership and staff in a hard place. Do they move forward as the Bishops have suggested knowing they are violating state law? My personal position is that I will not be part of such a move and that the Bishops need to follow the proper legal avenues available to them as can any other entity in our country. They had the full right to challenge the order in court to get a legal ruling, but until then I personally believe they did not have the legal right to proceed in violation of the current order.

It feels very much like the Church is putting itself above the law of the land. Unfortunately, we have been living through the repercussions of such action by Church leadership for many years with the never-ending sexual abuse scandal. For many years we as Catholics have talked about Faithful Citizenship and how we are called to work within our government systems for change. In this case, legal action and peaceful protest could be avenues that are well within the rights of our country for working towards a change, but to willfully disobey a current law is not.

I will keep it short and I am sure there are those that disagree with me, but this action has caused me a lot of concern and continues to be a continued behavior that troubles me deeply.

Peace, blessings, and prayers

Deacon Richard Moore

Comments

  • Mary GiesenPosted on 5/22/20

    I was also very disappointed by the Bishop’s decision to defy the law. I believe it sets a very bad example to all (especially younger people) when leaders determine they are above the law.

  • Doug KennedyPosted on 5/22/20

    Deacon Rich, thank you for your courage in speaking out. I worry for the older priests that the archdiocese relies on so heavily being placed in harms way. I also worry about older parishioners who will now feel a need to show up. I too am disappointed in this action by the bishops.

  • Phyllis MergenPosted on 5/22/20

    I am also very disappointed by the Bishops' defiance of the law.
    Thank you, Deacon Rich, for sharing your thoughts.
    These certainly are the times that try the souls.
    Blessings to all.

  • Terry HawkinsPosted on 5/22/20

    I agree that the Church should not violate the law, but approach authorities with information that supports their stance on this. COVID cases have not been decreasing and the ICUs in the hospitals are getting quite full, so it is not the time to gather people together which will almost surely increase COVID-19 cases and put people's lives in danger, including parish members, medical staff, family members and even the priests!
    There will always be a few people that will not cooperate with the masks and distancing rules, and that in itself can be a very difficult thing to deal with.

  • Michelle BeckPosted on 5/22/20

    I agree with you and your concerns. Thank you for sharing with us.

  • Mary TachenyPosted on 5/22/20

    I stand with Deacon Rich! I'm in total agreement. Thank you for sharing your perspective with our community.

  • Kathy MeyerPosted on 5/22/20

    I totally agree with everything you said. I feel very sorry for the pastors. They are already in an uncomfortable position and now this makes it even worse.

 

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