SPRINGFIELD (MA)
The Republican
By Stephanie Barry, The Republican
SPRINGFIELD – Opposing portrayals of protesters holding around-the-clock vigils at the closed Mater Dolorosa church in Holyoke continued in an ongoing court battle in Hampden Superior Court on Wednesday.
Lawyers for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield argued the 100-plus protesters who packed a second-floor courtroom were comparable to “Occupy Boston” squatters recently ejected from Dewey Square, while protesters countered that they are simply exercising their constitutionally protected religious rights.
The Most. Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, filed a lawsuit against the protesters in October after they began holding 24/7 prayer vigils since the church closure on June 30.
The crux of the complaint boils down to diocesan officials attempting to enforce a no-trespass order on parishioners, who have refused to go quietly to Our Lady of the Cross, the new, merged parish about a mile from Mater Dolorosa.
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