BishopAccountability.org
	March to Protest Cuenin's Removal By Bernie Smith Newton Tab [Newton MA] September 28, 2005 Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of supporters of Rev. Walter Cuenin are expected to march this Sunday on Archbishop Sean O'Malley's residence at the Boston Chancery in protest to the removal of the popular pastor and archdiocesan critic. Cuenin, who had been the pastor of the Our Lady's Help of Christians Church since 1993, has been forced to resign his post amid accusations of financial mismanagement, a charge his supporters dispute. The archdiocese has alleged Cuenin accepted monthly stipends in excess of what is permissible by its rules, and was improperly given use of a parish-leashed car. Cuenin accepted the archdiocese's decision, and has called on his supporters to accept it as well. The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, who served as the archdiocese spokesman at the height of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, is Our Lady's new pastor as of yesterday. "I'm going to the parish very excited, but also very apprehensive because I know that people are upset," Coyne said. But Our Lady parishioners seemed far from ready to welcome Coyne. On Monday night, despite Cuenin's statement, several hundred supporters gathered at the parish in a sign of solidarity with the priest. The attendees held a press event demanding Cuenin's reinstatement, collected signatures for a petition calling for the same and held an overnight vigil. About 20 people were still at the church at dawn. Plans had not been finalized for Sunday's protest as of the TAB's deadline, but the march was tentatively schedule to leave Our Lady Help of Christians after the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass. Monday's event,which had been organized only 24 hours earlier by members of the Catholic laity group Voice of the Faithful, drew a full house. The 200-plus parking lot was filled, and cars lined several nearby streets. The crowd, which included several politicians, including Mayor David Cohen, aldermen Marcia Johnson and Ken Parker, state Rep. Peter Koutoujian and state Sen. Jarrett Barrios, could not all fit in the main rooms downstairs, where a press conference was held, and several of Cuenin's supporters leaned in through doorways of nearby rooms to hear speakers express admiration for the pastor and outrage at his dismissal. Cohen called Cuenin "a leader, a teacher, a healer, a mentor." Despite the sad news, the crowd was positive and energized. Several speakers touched off raucous, sometimes minutes-long rounds of applause that included hooting, foot-stomping and spontaneous, synchronized chanting. Cuenin's tenure at the church was marked by an oratory style and tolerant church environment that drew Catholics from outside the church's immediate district, reportedly increasing the parishes membership four-fold. Cuenin was also a frequent critic of the archdiocese, particularly after the 2001 sexual abuse scandal, and his reproaches garnered him notice around the region, as well as a New Yorker magazine profile several years ago. Many supporters said they believed the charges against Cuenin did not merit his dismissal and were in retaliation for his previous stance. Voice of the Faithful is calling for an independent, laity-led investigation into the reasons for Cuenin's dismissal, why the parish or finance councils were not alerted about the archdiocese's concerns beforehand and why the archdiocese had not objected to the monthly stipend or use of the car in previous years, despite several audits by the archdiocese. A spokesman for the archdiocese could not be reached for comment. As for his move from a position close to Archbishop Sean O'Malley to a defiant parish, Coyne said: "I don't have any agenda other than to be a good pastor." Coyne was a professor at St. John's Seminary in 2002 when he was assigned to the archdiocesan public relations office, fielding questions about church law and theology at first. Eventually he took over the office, becoming an adept if seemingly reluctant public face of the archdiocese. Coyne said he hopes to "help the parish to move forward in a very strong and faith-filled way." Reacting to the news of Coyne's appointment, parishioner Donna Giovannini said, "We want to keep Walter Cuenin here. He is the spirit of this church and the leader of this community." Christina Jameson, one of many Catholics who came from other parishes to Cuenin, said of Coyne, '"If there is anything they could do that would be more offensive, that is it." Meanwhile, Cuenin himself struck a conciliatory note after giving a pre-arranged talk on the involvement of laity in church affairs at St. Susanna's in Dedham on Monday. He did not address his ouster in his speech, though he told his audience, "it was a ray of hope" to be speaking to them. "Nothing is going to change the decision," Cuenin said afterward. He said he was pleased with his parishioners' support, but he did not want to encourage protest against the archdiocese.
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