The US Diocese of Allentown is filing an appeal to Apostolic Signatura against a ruling by the Congregation for the Clergy against the closure of six church buildings.

Diocesan Communications Director Matt Kerr said the five-county diocese will appeal the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy’s mandate that six church buildings closed in the 2008 diocesan-wide restructuring remain in use for liturgical functions, the Republican Herald reports.

Two other churches are already being used by their new parishes for weekday or occasional Masses and other acts of divine worship and are thus in compliance with the decree, Kerr said. The decree concerning Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Nesquehoning, remains under study, Kerr said.

“Questions remain, however, about the church buildings that the Congregation ruled retain sacred status while the parishes are suppressed. What that means going forward is unclear to the diocese. The Congregation for the Clergy based its decision to uphold the sacred nature of the churches based on a canon (church law), which requires the diocesan bishop to present a ‘grave cause’ for closing a church building. The Congregation holds that the grave cause was not present even though the parish is suppressed,” Kerr said.

“In a search for clarity regarding what appears to be a new application of church law in this matter, the Diocese of Allentown will appeal the Congregation’s rulings in six of the nine cases to the Apostolic Signatura, in essence the Vatican Supreme Court.”

SOURCE

Allentown Diocese will appeal Vatican rulings on area churches (Republican Herald)