Cardinal bars sacked rebel bishop from his diocese

BY STAFF REPORTER
A GERMAN cardinal invoked canon law to prevent an ultraliberal French bishop, who was sacked by the Vatican, from speaking in his archdiocese.
Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne, who is regarded as a conservative, cited Canon 763 of the Code of Canon Law to force Bishop Jacques Gaillot to withdraw from a speaking engagement in the archdiocese.
Canon 763 allows bishops to prevent other bishops from preaching in their dioceses, “but only in particular instances and for a serious bishop is known to be preaching error or folly”.
Dubbed “the Red Cleric”, Bishop Gaillot was removed as leader of the Diocese of Evreux, France, in 1995 for continually and openly dissenting from Church teaching on issues like the use of the abortion pill, priestly celibacy, homosexual sexual relationships, women priests and the use of condoms to prevent Aids.
He also distributed the Anglican Eucharist at a Communion service in London.
He was reconciled with the French bishops in the Jubilee Bishop Gaillot was scheduled to speak at an October 28 panel in Bonn, Germany, on “Being Christian in the Third Millennium: A Faith Which Has Hope”.
The event eventually took place with one panelist, Fr Eugen Drewermann, a German theologian and psychoanalyst who was suspended from the priesthood in 1992. In a statement read during the panel, Bishop Gaillot said he “had experience with prohibitions” but “the word of God cannot be put in chains”.
The event was organised by the readers of the Catholic self-described magazine for “critical Christians”. In a statement, the group criticised Cardinal Meisner’s action as “scandalous” and called for World Youth Day, scheduled to take place in Cologne in 2005, to be protected from “the narrow-minded and arrogant actions of the Cardinal”.
The 1,300 people in the audience held up “red cards for Meisner” — a reference to the red cards in football used to disqualify players for bad behaviour.
Most participants signed a petition protesting against Cardinal Meisner’s action and expressing concerns that a over World Youth Day. Magdalena Bussmann, a spokeswoman for the conference organisers, told Catholic News Service, an American press agency, that it was “theologically and politically unwise to try to exclude a man like Bishop Gaillot”.
After his dismissal by the Vatican, Bishop Gaillot was transferred to the titular Diocese of Partenia. He campaigns from his web site, www.partenia.org.
Bishop Gaillot and Fr Drewermann appeared together on a platform at this year’s Catholic Church Assembly in Ulm, a move which was criticised by