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To: Canticle_of_Deborah
These churches are owned by the laity.

Under the jurisdiction of the local bishop. That is Canon Law.

That same Canon Law does not allow laymen to hire and fire priests, nor to disobey the local bishop.

I'd certainly favor more control of local churches by the laity. But, in a civil dispute such as this, governments will defer to the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and that is the local bishop.

7 posted on 08/19/2004 4:23:04 AM PDT by sinkspur ("Is it OK to send watered silk to the dry cleaners"?--Cardinal Fanfani)
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To: sinkspur
My wife attends Mass at the local Polish Mission, which is owned by the Order of priests fulfilling the spiritual needs of Polish speaking immigrants.

The Mission does participate in a division of its Sunday collection with the Diocese Office, and promotes the annual pledge to the Diocese Fund.

Likewise a Catholic university lies within the Diocese, but the lay faculty answers to the Jesuit Order - who also own the property.

8 posted on 08/19/2004 4:35:30 AM PDT by Robert Drobot (God, family, country. All else is meaningless.)
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To: sinkspur; Canticle_of_Deborah

Actually more complicated than that. The current Code of Canon Law expects the Church to live within the civil code where it finds itself, in general. The case in India varies from state to state where there are political realities for parishes that require a Catholic bishop to function in a way that no American bishop could imagine. The bishop in this case is doing what most Catholic bishops are doing in India, smashing and destroying the old civil structures that bound them by using whatever means are necessary. This has been happening since the Council and has been ratcheting up in recent years to a fever pitch in several parts of India.


13 posted on 08/19/2004 7:07:15 AM PDT by Maeve (Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.)
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To: sinkspur; Canticle_of_Deborah

Game over.


15 posted on 08/19/2004 7:39:14 AM PDT by pascendi (Quicumque vult salvus esse, ante omnia opus est, ut teneat catholicam fidem)
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To: sinkspur

The laity already control the local church already. In my town they decided baptism is not necessary, and that's that.


20 posted on 08/19/2004 11:20:28 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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