Court dismisses petition to keep Scranton, Pa., Catholic school open

Published: 2004-07-13

PITTSBURGH (CNS) -- A Pennsylvania judge dismissed a petition for an injunction to keep open St. John the Baptist School in Pittston in the Diocese of Scranton. The June 15 ruling was issued in a Luzerne County court by Court of Common Pleas Senior Judge Gailey Keller. Keller cited a lack of jurisdiction as the reason for dismissal of the case. He noted that the court cannot decide issues that would, in effect, compel a bishop or diocese to provide religious or academic training without violating the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. Some parents of students who formerly attended the school had sought the injunction after the Diocese of Scranton decided to close St. John the Baptist and St. Mary's School in Avoca as part of a reorganization of educational facilities in the Pittston area. Four Catholic elementary schools remain open in the area.

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