The conflict between a priest and his bishop takes another turn: the priest is packed off to a convent and basically suspended

The priest and the bishop have been at odds for over a year, with neither one agreeing on the original source of the dispute.

Rweyemamu, who is from Tanzania, says he was unfairly passed over for a temporary promotion in the parish in the spring of 2004, in part because of his race. Since he criticized the decision, he says, Cote has retaliated by getting him fired from a job as a chaplain in the state prisons, withholding his salary and benefits, and removing him from St. Bernard.

Cote, however, vigorously disputes that race plays a factor in the controversy at all. He contends that questions have been raised by parishioners about Rweyemamu’s homilies as well as his administration of a private charity not affiliated with the diocese. When he tried to get answers from Rweyemamu about both issues, Cote says, the priest refused to answer his questions.

It’s fierce. I’ve been reading articles about this for months, and I still can’t grasp what’s going on. Any insight – not speculation – would be appreciated.