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Don't be a fool.

This is what the parishoners of St. Stan WHO STAYED LOYAL TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH have to say about it all. Care to refute them?

"There is ongoing speculation about the reasons the board of directors changed corporate by-laws and assumed control over the parish finances. It is apparent that this situation exempted the board from the strict accountability required of all other parishes of the Roman Catholic Church. Contrary to public declarations, the board refused to conduct an independent financial audit by a certified public accountant, and to disclose details of parish operations, including procedures for awarding contracts and service agreements. The change of corporate bylaws was done with premeditation through amendments in 2001 and 2004. This itself is a clear violation of the original 1891 corporate bylaws, which explicitly state that corporation bylaws must be in conformance with diocesan rules, regulations and requirements."

Thus the dispute is not over property, but violation of canon law, the actualy original rules of the parish, etc. This rebelleion was begun in 2001 when the lay board WITHOUT ANY PROPER AUTHORITY VIOLATED THE RULES OF THE PARISH. The issue is AUTHORITY.

There are two important "ifs" and two "buts" for your consideration.

* If the parishioners committed some acts of liturgical, theological or moral abuses at St. Stanislaus, Burke would have definitely gained ethical grounds for his actions against the parish. But it didn't happen.

* If the torrents of lawsuits against St. Louis Archdiocese and all dioceses across the USA didn't start in 2001 resulting in closures and sales of many parishes, St. Stanislaus board would have no business protecting it by the said change of bylaws. But the lawsuits did happen.

Roman Catholic Bishop is not a "property manager", or a "corporation sole". Bishop is a religious leader and shepherd of Christ's flock.

Whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable, married only once, temperate, self-controlled, decent, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money.