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	Archbishop Suspends Clergyman By Christopher Burbach Omaha World-Herald January 15, 2008 http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10232681 Omaha Archbishop Elden Curtiss has suspended from the ministry a former assistant pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church who has a federal lawsuit pending against the archdiocese. The suspension means that the Rev. Ernest Ogugua, who now lives in New York, is temporarily banned from saying Mass or performing any other act of priestly ministry. The suspension took effect Jan. 7, said the Rev. Joseph Taphorn, chancellor of the Omaha Archdiocese. An announcement by the archdiocese said Curtiss took the step because Ogugua failed to obey an order to return to meet with the archbishop. "This is not envisioned to be a permanent thing," Taphorn said. "It is envisioned to be a penalty that will encourage reform." Ogugua denied through his attorney that Curtiss had ordered him to return to Omaha for a meeting with the archbishop. Ogugua's attorney, Kellie Paris Asaka of Omaha, said her client had not received any communication from the archbishop since leaving Omaha last spring. Taphorn said the order was made in "multiple" letters sent to a mailing address that had been provided by Ogugua. The matter dates to 2006, when Curtiss transferred Ogugua from St. Vincent de Paul to Holy Name. Ogugua moved to New York in spring 2007, after obtaining a leave of absence from the Omaha Archdiocese. Ogugua has not been working as a priest, Paris Asaka said. Ogugua sued Curtiss, the Rev. Dan Kampschneider and the archdiocese in federal court on Dec. 10, alleging discrimination on the basis of race and national origin. Ogugua is a naturalized U.S. citizen who grew up in Nigeria. Paris Asaka said Ogugua wasn't challenging the authority of the archbishop to transfer him but is alleging that the way he was treated during and after the transfer was discriminatory. The archdiocese has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Taphorn has said the suit "is manifestly without merit."
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