American Catholic Council in Detroit: They Came, They Dissented, They Disobeyed

Sadly, the group continued in their open dissent and commited acts which were in direct defiance of the Bishop's directive. The photos from the event with the lay participants wearing stoles and several women dressed in clerical collars speaks clearly. The office of the Archbishop has commissioned a "careful and thorough review".

P>DETROIT, MI (Catholic Online) - On Pentecost weekend, when the Church throughout the world paused to celebrate the birth of the missionary Church a dissident group calling itself Catholic while directly dissenting from the Magisterium of the Church ignored every request from the Archbishop of Detroit and proceeded with their conference. The Archdiocese offered an excellent explanation of the group, its errors and the confusion it compounds on the Archdiocesan web site.

Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit warned the clergy of the archdiocese that this conference was going to host a "forbidden" Mass in which they would  seek to involve lay people in the prayers of consecration. In a letter sent to the clergy of the Archdiocese he wrote "I have a number of concerns about this event and caution any Catholic against participating." He asked the group for a clarification on their intentions concerning this Pentecost Liturgy. In short to "confirm the legitimacy of what they had planned."

They sent a response which was non-responsive. The Archbishop called it "ambiguous" and indicated there "are good reasons for believing forbidden concelebration will take place by the laity and with those not in full communion with the Church.Despite my attempts to engage in a dialogue with them about this planned event, the organizers of this conference have not replied to me directly."

He warned all Clergy they "should be aware of the impact of forbidden concelebration with those who are not in full communion". Such an act is a violation of Canon Law and any cleric, priest or deacon, who participates in such a Liturgy could be dismissed from the clerical state. "I am compelled to caution any priests or deacons who may be considering participation in this liturgy. It is not being celebrated with my permission."

Sadly, the group continued in their open dissent and commited acts which were in direct defiance of the Bishop's directive. A priest named Father Bob Wurm, 78 years old, retired and from from Ferndale, presided over the Liturgy held at the Cobo Center.  The photos from the event with the lay participants wearing stoles and several women dressed in clerical collars speaks clearly. The office of the Archbishop has commissioned a "careful and thorough review" of the Liturgy and the entire event.

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