Police Arrest Church Closure Protestors
A century-old Catholic church in Boston closed its doors on Sunday after police stepped in to force out protesting parishioners
A century-old Catholic church in Boston closed its doors on Sunday after police stepped in to force out protesting parishioners. About a dozen members of the Sacred Heart Church were holding a vigil to protest the decision by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston to close their church over Christmas weekend.
According to the Associated Press, two church members, Anne Green and Leo Ryan, were arrested on Friday night, and the dozen parishioners stepped in to resume the vigil. Police entered the building and threatened the parishioners with arrest; there were no arrests since all the parishioners heeded to the advice of the police and left.
Sacred Heart is one of over 80 Boston-area churches that have been slated for closure because of a shortage of priests, decline in membership and financial woes. While Archbishiop Sean O¡¯Malley denies the closures are related to the recent clergy sex abuse scandal controversy, critics say the two are intricately connected.
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Brendan Melchiorri, 14, who left Sacred Heart weeping with the other evicted parishioners, said the closure was "one of the worst days of my entire life."
"I was baptized in this church, and I've grown up in this church," he said. "It's wrong. It's horrible. This shouldn't be happening. I can't believe I'm never going to see the inside of my church ever again,¡± he said to the AP.
Parishioners at eight other churches were continuing around-the-clock vigils to stave off their closures over Christmas.
Meanwhile Green and Ryan, the two arrested parishioners, were released early Christmas morning with a restraining order from the church. The two are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on trespassing charges.
