BishopAccountability.org
	Cuenin Asks Supporters to Halt Efforts By Matt Viser Boston Globe [Newton MA] October 27, 2005 The popular former pastor of a Newton parish, ousted last month over alleged financial improprieties, has appealed to parishioners and other supporters to stop pushing for his reinstatement at Our Lady's Help of Christians. "It is clear to me that I am not going to be brought back to Our Lady's as pastor," the Rev. Walter H. Cuenin wrote in an e-mail obtained by the Globe. "For those in the parish to keep pursuing that direction is only, in my opinion, to raise false hopes. It also draws a lot of energy that is needed to keep the parish from falling apart." Cuenin said he has met with Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley and "I know that I am not going to come back as pastor." Cuenin announced his resignation to parishioners last month after an audit led the archdiocese to conclude that he had violated archdiocesan policy by accepting from his parish a leased Honda Accord and a $500 monthly stipend. His supporters, however, say he is being punished for his outspoken criticism of the archdiocese over its policies on gay rights and women and for its handling of the clergy sex abuse scandal. Supporters, seeking to reinstate him, have held rallies, collected 5,000 signatures on a petition, and have marched to the archdiocese headquarters. A divide has emerged over whether to fight for Cuenin to come back to the parish, or move forward and accept their new pastor, the Rev. Christopher J. Coyne. Following the e-mail, which Cuenin sent on Monday morning, a group of five parishioners from a group called Our Lady's Friends met with Cuenin on Tuesday night for about 90 minutes. Dan Foley, a spokesman for Our Lady's Friends who attended that meeting and also verified the e-mail, said that parishioners now plan to focus more on keeping their parish vibrant, but that they would continue to fight for Cuenin to be reinstated, either at Our Lady's or another parish. "The e-mail may look more like 'Stop what you're doing,' " he said. "But the discussion was more about trying to reverse some of the damage the archdiocese did to our parish." Cuenin could not be reached last night for comment. Terrence C. Donilon, spokesman for the archdiocese, declined to comment specifically on Cuenin's e-mail because he had not seen it, but he said that "anything that moves the parish towards healing is a good thing."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.