The Buffalo City Council passed a resolution yesterday that accused the Diocese of Buffalo of “ethnic cleansing.” The diocese has decided to close some city churches and schools, and it was this decision that led Council President David A. Franczyk to charge that some neighborhoods were being abandoned, giving off “the whiff of ethnic cleansing.” He also said that if the Catholic Church is having financial problems, it should consider selling the Vatican.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue weighed in today:

“What happened yesterday will go down in history as one of the most egregious examples of Catholic bashing ever to be voiced by a government entity in the U.S. Even if the language were not inflammatory and patently bigoted—which it undeniably is—there is still a church and state problem: The Buffalo City Council has no business sticking its nose into the internal affairs of the Catholic Church. If Buffalo Bishop Edward U. Kmiec were to pass judgment on the affairs of the City of Buffalo (which he wouldn’t), he’d be labeled a tyrant. That’s what Franczyk and his colleagues are—tyrants.

“Dioceses all over the nation look at the changing demographics and make tough decisions regarding church and school closings, as well as openings. They don’t need any lectures from government bureaucrats on what to do. And they certainly don’t need to hear the kind of hate speech they heard yesterday. The same city council that wouldn’t dream of giving Catholic parents a dime to support school vouchers—which would help to keep the schools open—has the audacity to bash the bishop over something it has no legal or moral ground to stand on. It is a disgrace.

“We have contacted lawyers about the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the Buffalo City Council. We have lots of members there—getting standing is not a problem—and the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan may have an interest in doing the litigation. Together, we sued the City of San Francisco last year over a similar issue.”

Contact Franczyk at dfranczyk@city-buffalo.com

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