Priest resigns from Michigan church after protests over his criticism of a gay author
BEAL CITY, Mich. (AP) — A Catholic priest has resigned as pastor of a church in a small central Michigan community, the result of weeks of controversy following his publicly expressed regret that a gay author had read a book to preschool children.
Gay rights activists and others have held regular protests outside St. Joseph the Worker Church in Beal City, 85 miles (136.7 kilometers) north of Lansing, the state capital.
The Rev. Thomas Held’s departure as pastor was announced this week by the bishop of the Saginaw Catholic Diocese, The Morning Sun reported.
Held “has come to the decision that it would be impossible for him to bring unity to the parish,” said Bishop Robert Gruss, who called it an “unfortunate situation.”
There has been tension since Held went on Facebook on March 13 to respond to a parish preschool visit days earlier by local author Dominic Thrasher, who read from his book, “The Adventures of Cece and the Sheriff.” The main characters are puppies.
Related articles
Election 2024: What to know about Biden
WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of questions about whether general election debates would happen, Pre2024-05-18The Elle Woods effect: Good looking lawyers have more success in court, study finds
Whether it's Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde, Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones or Ally McBeal, plenty2024-05-18Last month was officially the hottest March on RECORD with global temperatures 0.73°C above average
With sunbathing opportunities aplenty in the northern hemisphere, it may not come as a surprise. But2024-05-18What REALLY happened the night of OJ Simpson and Kris Jenner allegedly hooked up in the hot tub
Jerry Oppenheimer is an author whose biographies include 'The Kardashians: An American Drama'. He is2024-05-18Pictured: Terror suspect, 35, arrested over failure to disclose 'Isis
This is the 35-year-old terror suspect arrested over a failure to disclose an alleged Isis-inspired2024-05-18Piece of 5,800lb battery pallet tossed from NASA's ISS crashes through Florida home
A piece of metal came crashing through a home in Florida that is believed to be from a 5,800-pound b2024-05-18
atest comment