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Show A-6 Wed/Thurs/Fri, August 7-9, 2019 The Park Record Salt Lake City Catholic parish’s rift reflects a crisis of faith across globe String of outcries over priesthood sparks split COURTNEY TANNER The Salt Lake Tribune SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Claire Donnelly’s three children have attended Catholic school in Salt Lake City since they were 4 years old and barely tall enough to see over the wooden pews in the chapel. But this fall, for the first time, they won’t be going back. “It was a terribly difficult decision for us to make,” Donnelly said. “We’re sad to leave the community. But for our family, we had to take a stand against bigotry and intolerance and, frankly, hate speech.” SUMMERTIME MOONSHINE PEDICURE $80 $53 LOCALS* Relax with a rich cleansing pedicure while enjoying a Black Moon or Dom Hemingway cocktail. 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Erik Richtsteig, who will replace him at this church, was counseled about his online posts that promote hate of LGBTQ groups and mock women, and will lead weekly Mass for children from 4 years old to 15. More than 150 parents have signed a petition hoping to block Richtsteig’s move to their parish and school. Jean Hill, spokeswoman for the Salt Lake City Diocese — which oversees more than 300,000 Catholics in Utah — said the church had no comment. As the faith and the nation have been rocked in recent years by reports of sex abuse of minors by priests, the church has promised to remove leaders with the potential for misconduct (19 have been reported in Utah since 1990). When reached by The Salt Lake Tribune, Richtsteig said he had no comment. All of it, but especially the new priest coming in, has pushed Donnelly over the edge. She’s mad about the previous priest. She had hoped the church would be more sensitive in choosing a new priest. “As long as that man is there, I will not go back,” she said. “And I won’t take my kids there.” Donnelly’s youngest would have been going into second grade. Her oldest finished up eighth grade there this year and might have gone to a Catholic high school next. But now both of them and their brother in seventh grade will be enrolled at public schools for the fall. Richtsteig, a longtime priest serving in Ogden, was assigned to replace Skrzypiec at the Salt Lake City parish after the sexual misconduct charge was filed. And Skrzypiec was moved to St. Olaf Catholic School in Bountiful. Transferring priests is common in the church, which usually limits how long Catholic leaders can stay in a parish. Richtsteig had been in Ogden for 17 years — already five years longer than a typical assignment. A group of congregants at St. Ambrose and parents with children at the private school, which hosts preschool through eighth grade, created the petition to stop Richtsteig from coming to their parish over his social media posts, which they have documented with screenshots. In one image on his blog, Richtsteig edited an assault rifle into his hands. In a post on Facebook, he said that images shared by LGBTQ individuals in June (which is Pride month) look “like a gnome vomited” and promised he wouldn’t accept a friend request from those with a rainbow filter in their picture. In other places online, he’s liked or followed pages that include “Male feminists are pu-----” and “Right wing extremist” and “Obama has to go.” He shared one meme about slavery that suggested a black U.S. senator, who has advocated for reparations, should perform oral sex on a man. He also posted an article about a cardinal who instructed members of the faith to stop calling priests “father.” Richtsteig added the comment: “Bite me, Eminence.” He has since deleted many of the posts. Or, at least, hidden them from public view. The concerned parents have asked the diocese and Bishop Oscar Solis, who presides over Utah Catholics, to rescind Richtsteig’s appointment. Solis has responded in two letters saying he will not change Richtsteig’s placement. “I understand your fears having checked the postings on his Facebook account, and I am grateful to you for sharing your feelings about it,” he wrote in the first one dated June 21. “It was quite a surprise to me having known Fr. Richtsteig since I came to the diocese two years ago as a priest full of pastoral zeal and commitment to his priestly responsibilities.” Solis went on to say he has “never heard any serious complaint” about Richtsteig and is confident that he will lead the parish with love and kindness. He included letters of support from individuals at the parish and school Richtsteig was leading in Ogden. In his second letter, on July 16 — which he sent after sitting down with upset parents and board members for J.E. Cosgriff Memorial Catholic School — Solis said he talked to Richtsteig about the concerns and isn’t worried about the priest creating similar posts in the future. But it is against the diocese’s policies for a priest to be so outspoken on social media. “He is not a person without faults, much more a saint, but one with weaknesses and failings like anyone else,” Solis wrote. “Yet, his mistakes do not outweigh his love, fidelity and zeal for his priestly ministry.” Get to know him; give him a chance, Solis pleaded. Because I’m not changing my mind, he added. One of Richtsteig’s most recent comments on social media, though, said that he didn’t actually want the transfer either, as he apparently referred to the miter worn by the pope, cardinals and bishops in the Please see Parish, A-8 BOOK 2 NIGHTS, GET 3RD NIGHT FREE! This Labor Day, book your stay at Utah’s only Five-Star luxury hotel. www.steinlodge.com/laborday | 800.453.1302 Lawn Games • BBQ • Live Entertainment • Movie Night • Petting Zoo Deck Yoga • Arcade Games • Guided Hikes • S’mores • And, so much more! Restrictions and limitations may apply. Call for details. |