Belleville, USA - In an unusual show of defiance, 45 priests in Belleville's Roman Catholic diocese are calling for Bishop Edward Braxton to step down amid a financial scandal and other conflicts.
The priests sent a letter calling for Braxton's resignation to Cardinal Francis George in Chicago, the region's top church authority, and Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican's U.S. ambassador. George also is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The priests - including 36 of the diocese's 59 resident parish pastors - wrote that they have become "increasingly frustrated by the lack of collaborative and consultative leadership."
"Therefore," they wrote, "it is requested that Bishop Braxton resign from his office as Bishop of the Diocese of Belleville for his own good, for the good of the Diocese and for the good of the presbyterate."
Another nine priests, including seven retired pastors, also signed the letter, which the group made public. The diocese has about 104,000 Catholics.
Braxton, 63, has come under scrutiny for accusations that he misspent about $18,000 dedicated to two special funds, including purchasing a new table and chairs for a conference room and ceremonial garments.
Braxton has apologized and has said he found a benefactor who will restore what he spent. He did not comment on the priests' letter.
A public protest by priests against a bishop is unusual but not unprecedented. In Boston, a group of priests called for the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law for his handling of the clergy sex abuse crisis.