Vatican rejects Wendelboe appeal

The Vatican has rejected Rep. Fran Wendelboe's initial appeal to stopthe merger of three Roman Catholic churches in the Newfound andPemi-Baker Region.

Thesix-term Republican representative from New Hampton was not surprisedby the answer but said she isn't giving up just yet, announcing effortsto raise $10,000 in order to appeal the denial, and, ultimately, tokeep the doors of her parish, St. Agnes in Ashland, open.

InJuly 2006, Bishop John McCormack, head of the Diocese of Manchester,decreed that St. Agnes, St. Timothy in Bristol and St. Matthew inPlymouth would be merged, forming Holy Trinity Parish which wouldoperate out of St. Matthew church.

Patrick McGee, speaking forthe Diocese of Manchester, said the churches would remain open untilafter a parish council was convened at Holy Trinity to decide theirindividual fates.

McGee explained that the action is part of astatewide attempt to deal with the movement of New Hampshire Catholicsfrom urban to suburban parishes and the serious shortage of priests.

Wendelboe,in a letter to Cardinal Dario Castrillon-Hoyos, prefect of theCongregation for the Clergy at the Vatican ' under canon law, the firstentity to which diocesan administrative decisions must be appealed 'wrote last August that McCormack's judgment and that of AuxiliaryBishop Francis Christian were suspect given their roles in the scandalover sexual abuse of children by priests in the Archdiocese of Bostonand in the Diocese of Manchester.

"Had our bishops been trueto their calling and acted in a manner worthy of their offices, it isvirtually certain that the need to merge parishes would be greatlyreduced if not eliminated entirely," Wendelboe said in asking that theCongregation for the Clergy invalidate McCormack's plans forestablishing Holy Trinity Parish.

Wendelboe sent her appeal withthe expectation that it would be automatically denied and, last week,she learned it had been, which prompted her to launch "Save St. Agnes,"an effort that will take the matter to the Supreme Tribunal of theApostolic Signatura, the Roman Catholic Church's highest court.

Inan e-mail to media this week, Wendelboe said the Manchester dioceseagain displayed bad faith in how it shared news about the Congregationfor the Clergy's decision.

While she said she was keeping thenews quiet while working to set up a meeting with the diocese "toexplore possible alternate solutions to closure of the church,"Wendelboe said she was surprised when the parishioners of St. Agneswere informed about the denial at Mass last Sunday.

That factand the manner in which the diocese released the information, saidWendelboe, demonstrated to her that it has "no desire for discussion onways to keep all three churches open in the long term."

She added that, of "particular concern was mention of closure of St. Agnes in the decision."

Wendelboehas contacted an Italian canon lawyer ' an appeal to the Signatura canonly be argued by an Italian lawyer who has been accepted by theSignatura to present cases before it ' and said she will be calling onarea businesses, current and former parishioners, and members of thepublic to raise money for the appeal.

She is asking anyone who wants to help to contact her at 968-7988 or via e-mail at mattwenfranverizon.net.