The Devil's Own Weakness Is Shown in Attacks on Church

Threatening a priest or Bishop never helps your cause and is a sign that you are not a true Catholic and you have turned your back on Jesus Himself.

Those who make threats and publish false testimony against our Church leadership do not deserve anything but our prayers to help in their conversion.

"Bring Me My Children. Bring Me ALL of My Children!"

Roman Catholic Bishop Richard Malone says church officials obtained a police order and threatened church sanctions against an outspoken critic because he felt the man's words and actions were "threatening to me personally and harmful to my ministry."Malone, leader of Maine's 215,000 Roman Catholics, issued a statement late Tuesday afternoon on the Diocese of Portland's Web site following news accounts of his actions against Paul Kendrick.

In his statement, Malone said he turned the other cheek for nearly five years as the Freeport man flooded the diocese office with e-mails and held vigils outside his residence, the chancery and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where Malone often celebrates Mass.

But the final straw, Malone wrote, came on Dec. 16, when he needed a police escort to enter a building as Kendrick and others waited outside. A day later, Malone said he received a letter in which Kendrick threatened to become a distraction at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

"I decided that the line had been crossed beyond legitimate criticism of the church to what felt threatening to me personally and harmful to my ministry as your bishop. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but this kind of harassment is another matter altogether," Malone wrote.