St Mary's Priest gets the Sack
The Archbishop of Brisbane John Bathersby has given notice to the priest of St Mary’s Catholic church at South Brisbane, Father Peter Kennedy, that he should resign by 21 February or he will face the sack. This follows a long stand-off between the congregation and the church hierarchy, in which Father Kennedy has been accused of “performing unorthodox mass and not respecting the church hierarchy”. Read the ABC news item here.
Chief among the congregation’s sins is the acceptance of gays and lesbians including running commitment ceremonies for couples, but the Archbishop is also concerned about the use of “non-conventional terms during baptisms.” He also insists that priests at the church wear “the traditional alb and stole during the mass and they use a Catholic Church-approved eucharistic prayer – not one developed by the community. He also wants lay people to stop giving the homily.” Link.