Judge Issues Order In ‘Capilla De La Fe’ Case

By STAFF and CNS Reports

Published: October 16, 2003

ATLANTA—An Atlanta judge has issued a permanent injunction barring the non-Catholic “Capilla de la Fe” network of Hispanic churches from portraying itself as Catholic.

Its leaders and those speaking on behalf of the group also must inform anyone who asks that neither they nor the organization are Catholic or associated with the Catholic Church; that they are not ordained Roman Catholic priests; and that any religious ceremonies or rites they perform are not authorized by the Roman Catholic Church.

The order was issued Oct. 3 by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Alice D. Bonner. It came in response to a civil complaint lodged by the Atlanta Archdiocese and Archbishop John F. Donoghue.

Archdiocesan attorney David Brown had said in an interview Aug. 27 with The Georgia Bulletin that the group, which has a network of nine churches around North Georgia, was calling itself Catholic and misrepresenting itself to unsuspecting Hispanic people as Catholic through its use of the Mass, the sacraments, clerical dress and observance of other Roman Catholic traditions.

Father Jose Duvan, the priest liaison with the Hispanic Apostolate, said his office became aware of the problem in January and February when Hispanic Catholics who had visited “Capilla de la Fe” began calling to ask whether, in fact, it is Catholic. Locations included sites in and around downtown Atlanta. The effort seemed designed to confuse and mislead Hispanic Catholics, he said.

In an open letter this summer Archbishop Donoghue warned Catholics not to be misled by the group. “For months now,” he wrote, “this group, ‘Capilla de la Fe,’ has been creating confusion in the Hispanic community by pretending to be in communion with the church and the magisterium of the church. They even use the same terminology that the Roman Catholic Church uses in referring to the Mass and the sacraments.”

“I feel I must inform you that this group is not in communion with our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, and they are not approved by me as Archbishop of Atlanta, ” he continued. “Unfortunately many of our good Hispanic people are confused by their pretense and they are leading many away from the Catholic Church.”

Bonner’s injunction came in a two-page consent order and final judgment signed by attorneys for the archdiocese and the group.

Bonner ordered the defendants, who acknowledged to the court that they were not practicing Catholics or associated with the church, not to represent themselves as being “a part of, associated with or sanctioned by” the Catholic Church or the Atlanta Archdiocese, “either directly, indirectly or through distinctive dress associated with Roman Catholic clergy.”

She allowed them to continue using the names “Capilla de la Fe” and “Chapel of Faith” but only if they did so while abiding by all the requirements of the order . She also ordered that, “upon any future inquiry regarding their religious affiliation, they individually and collectively shall affirmatively state that (a) they are not a part of, associated with, or sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta or Archbishop John Francis Donoghue, and (b) that they are not ordained Roman Catholic priests and (c) that any religious ceremonies or rites they may perform are not authorized by the Roman Catholic Church.”

The order identified the defendants as Julio Cesar Freitas and “John Does 1 through 10” and said some or all may have been born into and baptized in the Roman Catholic Church but are no longer practicing Catholics.

In an interview Oct. 10, Brown told Catholic News Service that, by obtaining the defendants’ consent to stop identifying themselves as Catholic and to explicitly inform anyone who asks that they are not Catholic, Archbishop Donoghue had achieved what he wanted.

The original lawsuit also sought reimbursement to the Catholic Church of any donations received under false auspices, and some media reports highlighted the fact that the consent order did not include any monetary damages.

But Brown said that was not a significant concern to the archdiocese.

“The archbishop’s objective was not to collect money, but to protect the Hispanic community from being misled,” he said.