It's hard to comment fully on all the facts. Surely, there might be times when a Church needs to be closed, and surely every time there are parishoners who don't want it closed. Then again, given Egan's record in CT, I tend to lean towards the "he's a snake" interpretation.
"Edward Cardinal Egan pulled a fast one on a lower Manhattan parish pastor yesterday, summoning the priest to meet with him - then dispatching security guards to permanently lock the cleric's church doors."
What a great guy.
I am sure that this really helps the flock to trust their shepherd.
You mean to tell me that there's only ONE key to this church?
Something smells fishy here...
Granted that it's Cardinal Egan's archdiocese, and to a certain degree he can do what he sees fit. But to abruptly close a parish seems to be at the very least very shady and very underhanded.
The least he could have done is wait for the Lithuanian dignitaries and the parishioners to make their pleas and then keep them involved (i.e. perhaps merging it with another parish).
This really doesn't seem right at all.
"Hey, look over there! Ha Ha, gotcha."
He must be saving the smoke and the mirrors for a different pastor.
....like a thief in the night.