Tension in Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans

Alfred Hughes Follows in Footsteps of Controversial Archbishops

Jan 12, 2009

The ownership of Catholic churches has been questioned after the Archdiocese of New Orleans called police to oust protesting parishioners from two houses of worship.

Protests by parishioners of St. Henry’s and Our Lady of Good Council (OLGC) churches is the latest chapter in a history of tension between Catholic church members and bishops of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The conflicts have challenged the bishops’ authority on race, abortion, voting and property ownership in a city historically known for its strong Catholic faith.

The latest tension arose in 2008 when Archbishop Alfred Hughes ordered the closing of the 350-to-400 member St. Henry’s and OLGC congregations and for merging them into a new church parish.

After months of pleading and unsuccessful objecting, the parishioners began a weeks-long vigil in the two churches where their families had worshipped for generations. With counsel and encouragement from leaders of the four-year vigil in six Massachusetts churches, they vowed to occupy the buildings until the merger plans were dropped or ruled illegal.

Parishioners Arrested

After 10 weeks, the archdiocese summoned police to oust the protesters. Three parishioners were arrested and removed in handcuffs. The resulting news coverage generated heavy email and radio talk show response, although charges against the protesters were quickly dropped.

However, they vowed to continue their protests with prayers on church steps, with appeals to the Vatican's Apostolic Signatura and in lawsuits.

Parishioners lost a preliminary court battle in 2008 when a district court rejected their claim that OLGC was not owned by the archdiocese but by a nonprofit corporation set up and registered with the secretary of state at the time of its founding. The lawsuit said the church’s 1890 incorporation papers assigned control of the building to a board made up of the archbishop, his vicar general, the church pastor and two parishioners. It said the archbishop failed to replace the deceased parishioners on the board.

Since the 75-year-old Hughes was expected to retire in 2009, parishioners hoped his successor would compromise with them.

Assistant to Cardinal Bernard Law

Hughes came to New Orleans after serving as assistant to Cardinal Bernard Law during the sex abuse scandals in the Boston archdiocese. His arrival was marred by reports that he had transferred accused priests from Boston to other congregations and by being called back to testify in the Massachusetts pedophile investigation.

Hughes also angered many Orleanians in 1995 when he snubbed a Loyola University ceremony bestowing an honorary degree on the Landrieu family, one of Louisiana’s most prominent Catholic families. The family includes U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, whose political stands do not agree completely with church policy on abortion. It is headed by former Mayor Moon Landrieu and his wife, Verna, who raised nine children and who had been given the 1979 Regina Matrum award as the archdiocese’s outstanding mother.

Hughes’ predecessors included three archbishops who were known for both controversy and significant contributions to the archdiocese.

Archbishop John Patrick Cody

Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel gained national attention in 1962 by excommunicating three Catholics for protesting his order to desegregate Catholic schools. The three included politically powerful Dist. Attorney Leander Perez Sr., a leader of the White Citizens Council.

Archbishop John Patrick Cody won praise and blame for pressuring the 85-year-old Rummel to integrate the schools. He remained controversial as he managed integration of the South’s largest Catholic school system, guided the archdiocese through controversial Vatican II changes and later became involved in scandal as Archbishop of Chicago.

Archbishop Phillip Hannan angered many Orleanians in 1996 by telling Catholics they would sin if they voted for Bill Clinton, Mary Landrieu or other office seekers who do not follow church teachings on abortion. He continued that critcism even after retirement.

The copyright of the article Tension in Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans in Social Activism is owned by Carroll Trosclair. Permission to republish Tension in Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.