February
6, 2007: Last year, Bishop Gumbleton broke rank with Ohio bishops
by speaking in favor of legislation that would lift the statute of
limitations to support survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Since then,
he has been punished by the Vatican through removal as pastor of St.
Leo’s parish. It has also recently become known that the Vatican is
requesting him to get permission of local bishops before his speaking
engagements.
As a result, the Arizona bishops have denied Bishop Gumbleton permission
to speak in their diocesan boundaries at Call To Action events this
week. The good news is that CTA members across Arizona are
rising up with gospel nonviolence resistance, providing the opportunity
for Catholics to hear Bishop Gumbleton speak via video and creating
a cross-country campaign with their fellow Catholics in Detroit.
Arizona
CTA members encourage Catholics from across the country to write
or call the Arizona bishops with the following message:
I am a Catholic who supports Bishop Gumbleton and believes
that all bishops should have spoken out like he did to support
the survivors of sexual abuse.
Local Contact Information:
Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, Diocese of Tucson
192 S. Stone Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85702
520.792.3410
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, Diocese of Phoenix
400 E. Monroe Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004-2336
602.354.2000
Check out how the campaign message about Bishop Gumbleton is spreading
from GoogleVideo
to the New York
Times!
From February 1, 2007:
Thanks to you, the members of Call To Action in solidarity with Detroit
Catholics, we successfully raised enough money to place four ads in
local newspapers, protesting the removal of Bishop Gumbleton and spreading
the word to thousands that we do not accept injustice in our church.
Click here to view
a copy of the ad.
Now, Detroit Catholics move into the second phase of their campaign…
going directly to the Cardinal and they need your support!
Many parishioners have sent letters to the Cardinal’s office but their
only response has been a form letter including the inaccurate statement
that clergy are removed from ministry at retirement. This is untrue.
In fact, Cardinal Maida is also past retirement age but has been allowed
to continue his ministry as Cardinal of the Archdiocese.
Support
Detroit Catholics in the second phase of their campaign
by calling the Cardinal’s office today at 313.237.5816 with
the following message:
Bishop Gumbleton should be allowed to continue as administrator
of St. Leo’s parish, as other clergy have been allowed to
do so past retirement in Detroit. I decry the injustice
of his removal and the lack of consultation with the laity
about their own parish leadership.
I also understand that this situation comes at
a time when parishes are being threatened with closure.
I stand with Bishop Gumbleton’s belief that the churches
of inner-city Detroit should not be closed. The decision
to close these parishes is in direct contrast to the gospel
values to serve the poor and marginalized. Do not turn your
back on the people of God.
“We ought to be a church of the poor. We’re not. We have extraordinary
wealth. In fact, we’re so far from being a church of the poor that
if you look where the poor really are in the world, especially here
in our country, the church is moving away”
--
Quote from a homily by Bishop Gumbleton, Sunday, October 15, 2006
To hear the heartfelt words of Bishop Gumbleton at his final mass
as pastor of St. Leo’s, click
here to view the three minute video clip, “Loss of a Prophet.”
For an inspiring look at why so many Catholics support Bishop Gumbleton
and the people of Detroit, watch the five-minute YouTube film, “A
Prophet Without a Home.”
Click the Play icon in the center of the image below to watch the
video now.
From
January 2007:
On December 17th, Bishop Tom Gumbleton announced that his request
to continue ministry at St. Leo’s Parish in Detroit had been denied
by the Vatican. Catholics in Detroit are rising up to challenge the
Vatican’s decision and the local Cardinal’s support of it.
Despite Archdiocesan statements to the contrary, it is common practice
to allow clergy to continue their ministry after they reach the retirement
age of 75, if they wish. Instead, 77-year old Bishop Gumbleton, a
long-time advocate for those on the margins of church and society
and a dedicated prophet for peace, is being removed from active ministry
by the Vatican.
Call To Action, through our JustChurch project, is supporting the
efforts of the local Catholics who are rising. To stand in solidarity
with the Catholics in Detroit, we joined their campaign to raise funds
to run newspaper ads in the local newspapers to support Bishop Gumbleton
and to decry the injustice of his removal. We successfully raised
enough money to run four ads that has helped to spread the word about
Bishop Gumbleton’s removal.