Archdiocese Fires Official Who Criticized Bush

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, April 11 — Frank Fromherz, peace and justice director for the Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., for the past 12 years, was laid off shortly after he sent an e-mail to hundreds of Catholics encouraging anti-war protests and calling on “the international criminal court to indict and prosecute our own President [bush] as a war criminal,” the AP reported.

Fromherz had received repeated warnings about the compatibility of his personal activism and his role as official spokesman for Archbishop John Vlazny.

Archbishop Vlazny told his flock of 350,000 Catholics that they should focus on praying for peace, noting that “divisiveness is not at all helpful.”

Rochester Diocese Hopes to Expand Cathedral

DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE, April 8 — The Diocese of Rochester, N.Y., plans to expand its Sacred Heart Cathedral and create a large parking area, reported the Rochester, N.Y., daily newspaper.

But the plan has hit opposition from neighborhood activists. They object to the planned demolition of 11 houses on the land, which they say will impair the area's residential character, and have taken their complaints to Rochester's city planning office.

The two sides met at Rochester City Hall on April 8 to discuss the creation of an environmental impact statement. The renovation would include the interior of the cathedral, which diocesan officials call outdated.

“It needs to be more welcoming than it has been,” explained diocesan spokesman Michael Tedesco.

Some local Catholics strongly oppose the proposed changes. Parishioner Michael Brennan predicted the renovation would cost vastly more than the $6 million to $8 million the diocese is projecting and total some $15 million to $20 million.

“It's going to bankrupt the parish,” Brennan warned.

Diocesan officials said they were unaware of any lay opposition to the project.

Homosexual Speaker Banned From Catholic Pulpit

MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE, April 3 — The archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis has banned Mel White, an activist who crisscrosses the United States promoting pro-homosexual attitudes among Christian churches, the daily reported.

That message includes White's personal story as an ordained Protestant minister who tried unsuccessfully through prayer to be cured of his same-sex attractions.

White had been invited to give the homily at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Minneapolis, but the invitation was withdrawn, thanks in part to the work of Catholic Parents Online, a lay movement in the archdiocese, according to the paper.

The Star-Tribune noted that White, 63, had helped found a national organization, Soulforce, which attempts “to break through homo-phobia in Christian churches.”

Homophobia? While condemning homosexual acts, the Cate chism of the Catholic Church says homosexuals “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided” (No. 2358).