May 6, 2004

Notification Concerning Father C. William Hausen

PITTSBURGH – According to an official Notification published in the May 7, 2004 Pittsburgh Catholic, Father C. William Hausen “has incurred an automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church.”
Father Hausen incurred excommunication “for celebrating liturgical and sacramental rites at his newly-formed Christ Hope Ecumenical Catholic Church, Sewickley, Pennsylvania, having refused all offers of reconciliation extended by the Diocesan Bishop.”

The announcement came from Father Lawrence A. DiNardo, the Vicar for Canonical Services, Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The announcement was made in the form of a Notification since Father Hausen was excommunicated by his own actions on Sunday, May 2, 2004 when he conducted the services in his church.
An accompanying note in the Pittsburgh Catholic explained that Father Hausen’s excommunication was latae sententiae, a Latin term meaning that by his very act he separated himself from the Catholic Church. It is “much like a self-inflicted wound.”

“In the sports world,” the explanatory note said, “if a player for the Pittsburgh Steelers becomes a free agent and signs with the Cleveland Browns he is certainly free to do so. To continue to wear a Pittsburgh Steeler jersey and claim to be a Steeler is simply false advertising, “When a person chooses to leave the Catholic Church,” the accompanying note in the Pittsburgh Catholic continued, “that person needs to be open and honest enough to declare so, rather than try to have the best of both worlds claiming to be a part of the Catholic Church and at the same time claiming to have their own church.

“What is at issue is truth. The Catholic Church is obliged to speak the truth with love, even when it is painful to do so. When someone has left the Church to form their own personal church, the Catholic Church is obliged to state that they have done so,” the note stated.

Father Hausen, ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1965, has been on administrative leave since October 2003, meaning that he could not say Mass publicly or identify himself publicly as a priest.

He had been assigned to Sacred Heart church in Pittsburgh after being transferred from St. James church in Sewickley in April 2002.

Two years ago while serving at St. James, Father Hausen had threatened to start his own church after preaching a controversial Easter Sunday homily.

While a number of public reports attributed his transfer to Sacred Heart because of the statements in his homily at St. James that attacked mandatory celibacy for priests, the hierarchy of the church and called for the ordination of women, in actuality the transfer came about as a means to address his threat to leave the church.

According to published reports, Father Hausen was “delighted at his appointment to Sacred Heart” where he had previously served. At the time, the diocese requested that Father Hausen not drive a car because of his persistent alcohol abuse problem that he has publicly admitted. Father Hausen rejected that request.

The diocese has consistently provided him support and treatment for his illness. It was Father Hausen’s recurring difficulties with alcohol abuse that led to his inability to carry out his pastoral duties at Sacred Heart and led to his being placed on administrative leave last October.

Father Hausen subsequently revived his plans to form his own personal church and to separate himself from the Catholic Church. The services conducted on May 2 confirmed that decision.
The Pittsburgh Catholic notification on Father Hausen also stated that Catholics “need to know that free and willful participation in this church implies separation from the Catholic Church.”

It went on to say that Catholics “cannot participate in the newly established Christ Hope Ecumenical Catholic Church and be considered members in good standing of the Catholic Church.”

According to Father Ronald P. Lengwin, diocesan spokesman, the diocese continues to hope for reconciliation with Father Hausen.

“We are all saddened by Father William Hausen’s decision to start his own church,” he said, “and continue to hold out hope that he will return.”