Thursday, December 29, 2005
REV. RYAN ST. ANNE
in the news again:
Galesburg - An independent abbey leader who has vowed to be a thorn in the side of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria said libel, slander and defamation lawsuits are being pursued against the diocese for a recent news release.
Controversy has followed the Rev. Ryan St. Anne of the Holy Rosary Abbey from state to state, ranging from a felony conviction, lawsuits, jail time and speculation regarding his religious training and credentials.
The latest rift is between St. Anne and the Peoria diocese, which sent out a news release Dec. 14 warning Catholics not to support the abbey because it is not officially recognized.
"The Holy Rosary Abbey is not in communion with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI or with the Church of Rome," Bishop Daniel R. Jenky said in the release.
"No faithful Roman Catholic should offer any support to this organization or have anything to do with its services, sacraments, prayers or ministries."
St. Anne said the lawsuits had not been filed as of late last week, but said they are being handled by attorneys who have dealt with the diocese before. St. Anne, 52, declined to say which attorneys are handling the case and in which county the suits would be filed.
The suits could be filed in federal as well as state court, St. Anne said.
"We've decided we're not going to get involved in their mud-slinging contest," said St. Anne, who brought his abbey to 820 E. Fifth St. in Galesburg in 2004 after being located in Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota. "But they have forced us to bring it to a public forum."
The abbey is in the former Cottonwood Health Care Center, which was purchased for $75,000.
Continue reading...
Blogger credit to Spirit Daily for the link.
