By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – The new priest at St. Stanislaus says he hopes the church can reconcile with Archbishop Raymond Burke.
The board of directors that runs the Catholic parish has been in a dispute with Burke for nearly two years. At issue is the control of parish assets.
Last week that board hired Father Marek Bozek without the Archbishop's consent.
Burke promptly declared the priest and the six board members to be excommunicated.
But Bozek said at a news conference Wednesday he hopes for a compromise.
"I believe in the history of Catholic theology, compromise is a way to become more wise, and is a way to find solutions to difficult questions," Bozek said. "So I do believe there is a way to find a solution that will satisfy both parties."
Bozek came to the United States from Poland five years ago. He was most recently a priest in Springfield, Missouri.
But he resigned his position there to take the job at St. Stanislaus after the Springfield bishop refused to grant him a leave of absence.
Bozek said he made the difficult decision because the parishioners of St. Stanislaus had gone without a priest for more than a year.
The archdiocese declined comment.