Doherty celebrated Mass and preached at St. Elizabeth Seton parish on July 5. Protesters and counter protesters gathered outside the Church.
Addressing the congregation at Sunday Mass, the bishop praised Rothrock as part of the parish's "wonderful history" while expressing that "serious consequences of that article are still playing out among us, and in the wider community. I chose the suspension provided for in church law. The suspension offers me an opportunity for pastoral discernment for the good of the diocese, of St Elizabeth Seton Church, and for the good of Father Rothrock."
The bishop drew a distinction between the Black Lives Matter social movement and the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, an organization which, Doherty said, "clearly says things that I oppose." But, the bishop said, echoing remarks from black Catholic leaders in recent weeks, "it is a mistake to say that that foundation is the headquarters of what is a very diverse movement."
When Doherty concluded his remarks with the phrase "Black Lives Matter," one woman called out, saying the bishop was a coward, according to Catholics in attendance at the Mass, and she was then removed from the church. Outside the parish, demonstrators chanted for or against the priest.
Division over the priest continues in Carmel, a wealthy, mostly white city north of Indianapolis, where some citizens have organized as Carmel Against Racial Injustice to protest systemic racism, while others, Catholics and non-Catholics, have continued to voice support for the priest.
Rothrock could not be reached for comment.
While Doherty said that he had observed Church law in suspending Rothrock, it is not clear that the bishops' action was undertaken in accord with canon law on the subject.
The bishop's decree indicated that he had suspended the priest in accord with canon 1333 of the Code of Canon Law. The canon describes the formal penalty of suspension issued after a formal penal process- a canonical trial or an administrative penal process. Such a process determines whether a person has committed a "delict"- a crime in Church law.
CNA asked the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana to clarify whether the priest was accused of a particular canonical crime, and whether he had been formally sanctioned with suspension following a canonical process- a procedure which ordinary takes weeks or more to complete.
The diocese declined to respond to CNA's questions.
It is also not clear whether Rothrock formally remains pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish. The priest was due to be transferred to another parish in Carmel, and the diocese now says the transfer will not happen. But the diocese has declined to respond to questions about whether the priest has offered his resignation from St. Elizabeth Seton, or whether he remains the pastor. Removing a pastor from office involuntarily requires a specific canonical process.
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On July 8, the diocese issued an "updated statement" saying that Doherty had "asked Father Theodore Rothrock to step aside from public ministry because of the division and damage that was instantly felt within the parish, the diocese and the larger community following Father Rothrock's controversial bulletin article. Father Rothrock has expressed regret and he understands and appreciates God's gift of the human family, and therefore the value of every human life which is made in the image and likeness of God."
"This time for pastoral discernment is for the good of the diocese, for St. Elizabeth Seton and for the good of Father Rothrock," the statement said, adding that "various possibilities for Father Rothrock's public continuation in priestly ministry are still being considered."
J.D.Flynn served as Catholic News Agency's editor-in-chief from August 2017 to December 2020.