An Ann Arbor, Michigan priest is taking fire from a regional bishop after he urged parishioners to come to church armed and ready to defend themselves.
“We’re not in Mayberry anymore, Toto,” was the title of the letter Rev. Edward Fride wrote to his flock at Christ the King Catholic Church.
“It is very common for Christians to simply assume that they live in Mayberry, trusting that because they know the Lord Jesus, everything will always be fine and nothing bad can happen to them and their families,” Fride wrote, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“How to balance faith, reality, prudence, and trust is one of those critical questions that we struggle with all our lives. Pretending we are in Mayberry, while we are clearly not, can have very negative consequences for ourselves and those we love, especially those we have a responsibility to protect. If we are not in Mayberry, is there a real threat?”
The priest also announced the church would be hosting three concealed carry classes for parishioners.
Fride noted Catholic teachings do not preclude carrying a gun for self-defense and to defend others and observed that “there has been a significant reduction in the availability of an armed police response.”
Bishop Earl Boyea of the Diocese of Lansing, which oversees the Ann Arbor church, criticized the concealed carry classes, saying in a statement:
Bishop Boyea has never given permission for anyone to carry a concealed weapon in a church or school of the Diocese of Lansing.
This ban on weapons has now been extended to “open carry” in our churches and our schools, thus making them gun-free zones.
Additionally, Bishop Boyea further states that Concealed Pistol License classes are inappropriate activities to be held on Church property.
As always we rely on the public or professional security forces to provide for public safety on Church property.
ABC 7 reported Fride defended the classes, saying, “I think it is perfectly appropriate for the parish to offer this class because the protection of our families and our kids is of paramount importance to us.”
By having the church sponsor the classes, he hoped parishioners would “realize the reality of the threat and take it seriously.”
UPDATE:
The priest has canceled the concealed carry classes, according to the Free Press.
“As our Bishop, he is responsible for setting policy for our parishes and he has decided and publicly stated that CPL (concealed pistol license) classes are not appropriate on Church property,” Fride wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday afternoon. “That is his call to make and we will obviously follow his policy on this and on all decisions he makes as he shepherds this Diocese. No parish is an island unto itself and no priest operates on his own. I am his priest and I will continue to serve him to the best of my ability.”
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