PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
April 28, 2014
By Peter Smith / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
ROME — Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik on Monday defended his decision to close the St. Anthony’s Church building in Monongahela and said those opposing the closure are a small minority who have misrepresented what has happened and behaved scandalously.
Bishop Zubik, interviewed in Rome where he is traveling on a pilgrimage, said protesters had no right to attempt a sit-in over the weekend after the final Mass at the century-old building, which already has been merged with a neighboring parish and is now slated to be closed.
“Nobody’s denying their right to appeal” to the Vatican, Bishop Zubik said. “The important thing is, we have to deal with this in charity and love. Screaming at the priest and making accusations that are patently false, that’s not the way. It’s an embarrassment and a scandal.”
About 30 protesters staged an all-night prayer vigil at the building after the last Mass on Saturday, but by Sunday the last protesters had left.
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