Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Fired Church Bookkeeper's Suit Dismissed; Involves Church Discipline of Priests

The Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal reports that a Jefferson County (KY) state court judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a former bookkeeper at Louisville's St. Therese Catholic Church who claims she was fired for objecting to the fact that a priest who was on probation for sexually abusing a teenager was residing on parish property in violation of Archdiocese policy. (See prior posting.)  The court said in part:
The plaintiff's claims … all stem from their disagreement with how the Archdiocese of Louisville has dealt with priests who have either been convicted of, or accused of sexual misconduct.… State civil courts do not have authority to decide these disputes.