Bishop Richard Lennon of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland said in a letter Thursday that he has not suspended the Rev. Robert Marrone from his priestly ministry, despite what Marrone told his breakaway congregation this week. Lennon, writing to priests and deacons, said that on May 22, he met with Marrone to encourage him to remove himself as pastor of the Community of St. Peter and to reconcile with the Catholic church. The bishop said he gave Marrone seven days to respond.
Although Marrone responded that he would not leave his congregation, Lennon said in his letter that he has not suspended the priest. Instead, the bishop wrote, he has "begun an investigation to determine whether a canonical penalty is to be imposed."
Marrone said Thursday that he still believes, according to what the bishop told him during their meeting last week, that he was suspended. He added that he was troubled and puzzled by the bishop's denial.
Marrone and his congregation of more than 300 broke away from the diocese in August 2010, four months after Lennon closed their parish, St. Peter Catholic Church in downtown Cleveland.
Despite warnings from Lennon, suggesting their salvation was in jeopardy if they conducted worship services outside a sanctioned church, members set up their own sanctuary in a renovated commercial building on Euclid Avenue.
During last week's meeting, Lennon asked Marrone "to reconcile with the church and to repair the breaking of ecclesiastical communion," according to the bishop's letter.
On Tuesday, Lennon wrote, he received a letter from Marrone stating, "I will not comply with your decree to leave the community of Saint Peter because I must, before all else, follow what my conscience dictates."
Lennon said in his letter, that he read Marrone a document titled "Declaration of Loss of Canonical Office" during their May 22 meeting, but has not issued a decree of suspension.
Marrone said Thursday that he assumed it was a document of formal suspension, in part because each sentence began with "whereas."
"You say I have seven days," said Marrone, recalling the bishop's words. "I don't know what else that means. I don't know whether he's trying to make me look like a fool, like I'm crazy," he added. "I feel bad for the confusion. But I didn't put it in motion."
Lennon's closing of St. Peter was part of a diocesewide downsizing that saw the closing of 50 churches over 15 months beginning in 2009.
Eleven of them, including St. Peter, appealed to Rome, arguing they had enough money and resources to keep their doors open.
In March, a Vatican panel issued decrees upholding the appeals, saying Lennon did not properly follow procedures under canon law when he closed the churches.
The bishop had 60 days to appeal the decrees, but in April he announced that he would restore the parishes.
This month, Lennon began meeting with parishioners of the closed churches. It was not immediately clear whether members of the breakaway community will return to their old church building on the corner of Superior Avenue and East 17th Street.
Marrone said Thursday that Lennon did not ask him to return as pastor there.