Another reason I refuse organized religion...
http://wjz.com/local/father.ray.raymond.2.565188.html
In Locust Point, parishioners are outraged.
"I'm very angry. I'm very angry. Father Ray is a wonderful man and that's why we're here today, to let the Archdiocese know how happy and what a wonderful man he is," Anita Doda said.
This week, the Archdiocese ordered Reverend Ray Martin to resign.
It all started with an October funeral service for a well-known mortuary owner. Father Ray allowed an Episcopal priest from a church a block away to read a gospel lesson.
"When a minister from another faith participates in that aspect of that in an active way, it violates canon law," said Sean Caine, Archdiocese spokesperson.
The Archdiocese says he was also warned for allowing dogs into the sanctuary. He's missed baptisms and first communions and hired someone to work at the church who had an extensive criminal record and then didn't terminate him.
"I want to tell the Archdiocese the mistake you're making now. It's totally wrong. This man has run three parishes, not just this one, and to do what you've done, you're going to have a hard time in this community," Doda said.
(For more, including related stories, click on the link above)
You know, for a church that promotes the values of forgiveness, tolerance, and morality, this seems completely fucked up to me. All of you know that I'm by no means a religious person, yet I still feel outraged by this story.
I actually knew this man, in a non-religious capacity, when I was living at my old home in Baltimore. He used to come to the local park with his dog, and bring pockets full of treats for the dogs. He was always very friendly to everyone, and loved the dogs like they were his own. In all the times I talked to him, never once did the topic of religion come up. We just talked as neighbors and as friends. I never even knew he was a pastor until seeing his photograph associated with this story.
I find it highly ironic that the Catholic church will overlook such grave atrocities as molesting children, and then bring the book down on a man that simply allowed a pastor of another denomination to read the gospel at a funeral (at the request of the parishioner whose parent had died).
This story speaks of nothing but hypocrisy and ignorance, not to mention a complete defiance of the teachings of Jesus that the faith holds so dear. The Archdiocese of Baltimore should be ashamed of themselves for their actions in this case. Fr. Ray Martin is a good man, and an asset to a community that was quickly losing a sense of itself, both religiously and secularly.
In Locust Point, parishioners are outraged.
"I'm very angry. I'm very angry. Father Ray is a wonderful man and that's why we're here today, to let the Archdiocese know how happy and what a wonderful man he is," Anita Doda said.
This week, the Archdiocese ordered Reverend Ray Martin to resign.
It all started with an October funeral service for a well-known mortuary owner. Father Ray allowed an Episcopal priest from a church a block away to read a gospel lesson.
"When a minister from another faith participates in that aspect of that in an active way, it violates canon law," said Sean Caine, Archdiocese spokesperson.
The Archdiocese says he was also warned for allowing dogs into the sanctuary. He's missed baptisms and first communions and hired someone to work at the church who had an extensive criminal record and then didn't terminate him.
"I want to tell the Archdiocese the mistake you're making now. It's totally wrong. This man has run three parishes, not just this one, and to do what you've done, you're going to have a hard time in this community," Doda said.
(For more, including related stories, click on the link above)
You know, for a church that promotes the values of forgiveness, tolerance, and morality, this seems completely fucked up to me. All of you know that I'm by no means a religious person, yet I still feel outraged by this story.
I actually knew this man, in a non-religious capacity, when I was living at my old home in Baltimore. He used to come to the local park with his dog, and bring pockets full of treats for the dogs. He was always very friendly to everyone, and loved the dogs like they were his own. In all the times I talked to him, never once did the topic of religion come up. We just talked as neighbors and as friends. I never even knew he was a pastor until seeing his photograph associated with this story.
I find it highly ironic that the Catholic church will overlook such grave atrocities as molesting children, and then bring the book down on a man that simply allowed a pastor of another denomination to read the gospel at a funeral (at the request of the parishioner whose parent had died).
This story speaks of nothing but hypocrisy and ignorance, not to mention a complete defiance of the teachings of Jesus that the faith holds so dear. The Archdiocese of Baltimore should be ashamed of themselves for their actions in this case. Fr. Ray Martin is a good man, and an asset to a community that was quickly losing a sense of itself, both religiously and secularly.