OREGON
National Catholic Reporter
[note: The issue between Fr. Radloff and the Catholic bishop does not involve abuse allegations.]
Dan Morris-Young | Apr. 22, 2014
Fr. James Radloff’s status as a priest in good standing in the diocese of Baker, Ore., has come to an end as he announced in an open letter Tuesday that he is leaving the Roman Catholic Church to “continue my journey as a priest” with a breakaway denomination, the Evangelical Catholic Church.
In addition, Radloff told NCR he has sent a demand through his civil attorney to Baker Bishop Liam Cary to “turn over a complete copy of my personnel records, and everything he used to make his decision.”
That decision was to implement a formal removal of Radloff as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Bend, effective Oct. 1, 2013. At the time of the ouster, Cary praised Radloff’s ministry at the diocese’s largest and Bend’s only parish. The bishop said Radloff remained a priest in good standing and had done nothing illegal. Cary refused to reveal the reasons for the termination, stating that he was “not at liberty to do so.”
No change in Radloff’s status with the diocese was announced even after the Vatican Congregation for Clergy rejected the pastor’s appeal of Cary’s action. Dated Jan. 31 and made public in Bend on Feb. 14, the ruling let Cary’s removal of Radloff stand, allowed the bishop to keep the reasons private, and did not require lifting the ban on public ministry imposed on Radloff.
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