Springfield, Ill., Dec 5, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Bishop John Leibrecht of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO, is defending his decision to suspend a priest who left his post--despite the bishop’s orders--to serve at a dissident St. Louis parish.
Fr. Marek Bozek, a native Polish priest and associate pastor of St. Agnes Cathedral, decided last week to leave his own diocese to serve at St. Stanislaus Kostka Polish parish in St. Louis.
That parish has broken away from its own bishop and refused to restructure itself in compliance with Canon Law.
St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke has been entangled in a two year-long debacle with St. Stanislaus, which currently operates under a structure in which the pastor is subject to the authority of the parish governing board.