The Rev. Edward Fride of Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan will no longer be holding concealed pistol license classes at his parish, per a directive handed down from Bishop Earl Boyea, reports the Detroit Free Press. “The Ann Arbor Catholic priest under criticism for urging parishioners to arm themselves has posted on Facebook that his parish will no longer hold any classes to learn about earning a license to carry a concealed pistol. The Rev. Edward Fride said he’ll abide by the directive of Lansing Bishop Earl Boyea, who oversees the parish, and who said Monday such classes are not appropriate for church property.” . . .
“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….”
Last week, before the story broke, Fride had posted on his Facebook page a link about a 2013 shooting at Arapahoe High School in Colorado, in which a student was shot by another, who then took his own life.
“Worth thinking about; kids should not only feel safe but be safe,” Fride posted last Thursday on Facebook.
Rev. Fride had held one class and had scheduled several others, which will now apparently be cancelled. An earlier missive from Rev. Fride to his parishoners urging them to consider carrying a firearm can be read here.
I left the Catholic church in my youth, so I will not comment on the its internal politics, which are simply not my fight. I would, however, like to gently suggest to everyone that if the leaders of your chosen religious faith are questioning and/or actively working against your right to defend yourself, it is those leaders, not your rights, that need to be questioned in return.