The Nation - News from Feb. 19, 1989

A predominantly Polish Roman Catholic church in Bridgeport, Conn., was closed indefinitely hours after the city’s bishop summoned police to evict dissident parishioners. On Friday afternoon, about 100 dissidents shouted down diocesan officials who came to St. Michael the Archangel Church to convey Bishop Edward M. Egan’s offer to meet with them if they would leave peacefully. About 200 parishioners, occupying the church in shifts, staged a weeklong sit-in to protest the transfer announced in December of a popular priest, Father Roman Palaszewski, brought from Poland three years ago. Regular church functions have continued during the protest. The standoff ended when police arrived and ordered about 80 dissidents present to leave. Two people were arrested on trespassing charges.