You die and go straight to hell! (in my best Mr. Garrison voice)

[Rokenn]

Family sues over funeral hell prediction
Wed Jul 16,11:17 PM ET

By Zelie Pollon

SANTA FE, N.M (Reuters) - A New Mexico family is suing their local Catholic church over a funeral Mass in which the priest allegedly said their relative was only a middling Catholic and going straight to hell.

Lawyers for the family of Ben Martinez said on Tuesday they had filed a lawsuit in June against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe and one of its priests.

Court papers filed last month say that Reverend Scott Mansfield said at Martinez's funeral last year that the deceased was "living in sin", "lukewarm in his faith" and that "the Lord vomited people like Ben out of his mouth to hell".

Martinez, 80, died June 17, 2002. Roughly 200 people attended the funeral at St. Patrick's Parish in Chama, New Mexico, a small town north of Santa Fe. Family members say he was a practicing Catholic all his life, but was too ill to attend church in the last year of his life.

Nine members of the Martinez family are seeking punitive and compensatory damages for severe emotional and physical suffering. Lawyers did not say how much the family was seeking in damages.

One of the plaintiffs said the townspeople "are staring at her, thinking her father is in hell," their lawyers said.

The complaint also said that as Mansfield walked to the grave, he laced his comments about Martinez -- a former town councilman -- with profanities.

"These people are profoundly hurt," said attorney Kathleen Kentish-Lucero, representing the Martinez family. "If you are Catholic and a representative of your church says your father is going to hell, that's perhaps the most devastating thing someone can say to you."

But church officials deny the family's claims.

"We deny the allegations and Father Mansfield denies the plaintiff's allegations," said Celine Baca Radigan, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

Radigan said that Mansfield has been moved to a parish outside of Albuquerque on a routine transfer.

[Moiraine]

Proof whether the priest was right or wrong may be a little difficult to procude in court ...

[Rokenn]

Originally posted by Moiraine: Proof whether the priest was right or wrong may be a little difficult to procude in court ...

True, maybe they could send priest and the lawyers on a fact finding mission to talk to the deceased and see [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Night Stalker]

Originally posted by Rokenn: quote: Originally posted by Moiraine: Proof whether the priest was right or wrong may be a little difficult to procude in court ...

True, maybe they could send priest and the lawyers on a fact finding mission to talk to the deceased and see [img]tongue.gif[/img] [/QUOTE]Do you propose hiring the services of the Great Zambini or are you in favor of a personal visit? [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

[Rokenn]

Originally posted by Night Stalker: quote: Originally posted by Rokenn: quote: Originally posted by Moiraine: Proof whether the priest was right or wrong may be a little difficult to procude in court ...

True, maybe they could send priest and the lawyers on a fact finding mission to talk to the deceased and see [img]tongue.gif[/img] [/QUOTE]Do you propose hiring the services of the Great Zambini or are you in favor of a personal visit? [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] [/QUOTE]Well the Great Zambini would be heresay, TL could clarify that. So I guess it would have to be a personal visit...

[Cloudbringer]

Have fun, don't forget to write and bring ice.....

[antryg]

Originally posted by Moiraine: Proof whether the priest was right or wrong may be a little difficult to procude in court ...

I thought everybody videotaped funerals like they do weddings?

[Moiraine]

Originally posted by Cloudbringer: Have fun, don't forget to write and bring ice.....

Who said hell was hot ?

BTW, damn damn damn I made a typo in my first post and it has already been quoted 3 times damn *grumble*

PRODUCE is what I meant to say. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 07-17-2003, 12:41 PM: Message edited by: Moiraine ]

[Cerek the Barbaric]

I can understand how the family may have had emotional suffering, but exactly how did they physically suffer from this overly blunt eulogy?

Are we now going to legislate that preachers, priests, and rabbi's must always say only nice things about the deceased? If we do, that flies in the face of "separation of church and state", because then the government is legislating how the church behaves during a religious ceremony.

Of course, I also notice that the priest in question quickly received a "routine transfer" to another area. That seems to be S.O.P. for any priests involved in a controversy.

[Rokenn]

Originally posted by Cerek the Barbaric: I can understand how the family may have had emotional suffering, but exactly how did they physically suffer from this overly blunt eulogy? Are we now going to legislate that preachers, priests, and rabbi's must always say only nice things about the deceased? If we do, that flies in the face of "separation of church and state", because then the government is legislating how the church behaves during a religious ceremony. Of course, I also notice that the priest in question quickly received a "routine transfer" to another area. That seems to be S.O.P. for any priests involved in a controversy.

Isn't it common curtsey to not speak ill of the dead? As for the lawsuit it is pretty silly.