The Gulfport, MS Sun Herald today reports that 156 members of Holy Family Parish, formerly St. Paul Parish in Pass Christian, Mississippi, have filed a lawsuit against Bishop Thomas J. Rodi, the Diocese of Biloxi and Holy Family pastor the Rev. Dennis Carver. The suit by parishioners who object to the Diocese's decision to consolidate two parishes into one, seeks to require the diocese to rebuild St. Paul's church that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina on its prior beachfront location. The suit also asks for an accounting of the funds that were contributed to St. Paul’s Parish after Katrina.
Bishop Rodi published a statement on Friday in response to the lawsuit, saying that the lawsuit "is an attempt to have the courts order the Catholic Church to have a church building at a specific place. If this lawsuit would be successful, it would mean, in effect, that the courts would tell the Catholic Church where God must be worshipped, where Mass and the other sacraments must be celebrated, and how the Catholic Church must use the financial resources of Holy Family Parish. This lawsuit attacks both the unity and liberty of the Church."
