Church to workers: Forget it

The Diocese of Brownsville rejects the union contract between church workers and Holy Spirit Catholic Church in McAllen. A church panel declares that agreement invalid under church law because the priest who signed it didn't have permission from Bishop Raymundo Peña. State law, however, might have something different to say about the contract's validity.

"If we have to take this to the Supreme Court, we will," parish employee Ann Cass tells The Monitor. The United Farm Workers union is supporting the church workers in their crusade.

The Associated Press picks up the story as well, and it appears on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer website.

Of course, this decision not to honor the contract comes from a diocese whose bishop went out of his way to stonewall a police investigation into rape allegations against one of its priests.