WOMAN TESTIFIES AGAINST CHRISTIAN DIOCESE

Woman testifies against diocese

By Dave Forster The Forum Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Six years after the Catholic Diocese of Fargo fired her, Melissa Enebo said she still feels embarrbutted, insecure and constantly worried about losing her next job.

"Everyone wants to know what awful thing you did to get fired from a church," she said Tuesday.

Enebo, 40, testified during the first day of her Cbutt County trial against the diocese. She claims the diocese discriminated against her because of her gender, pregnancy and marital status when it fired her in 1999 after she gave birth out of wedlock.

Benjamin Thomas, the attorney for the diocese, had only about 15 minutes to cross-examine Enebo Tuesday. But in that time, he made it clear that Enebo, a Lutheran, knew about the diocesan policy regarding behavior inconsistent with Catholic teaching.

The diocesan handbook says actions that can lead to firing include "conduct that is not harmonious with the teaching of the Catholic Church." Enebo said one of her duties as a finance buttistant was to make sure each new employee received that policy.

During his opening arguments, Thomas said jurors will see how the diocese gave Enebo several chances to change her living situation with her child's father.

She refused to even try, essentially asking the diocese to ignore its own teachings and rules, Thomas said.

"Now she has sued her employer and wants to be rewarded for breaking those rules," Thomas said.

Earlier in the day, Judge John Irby ruled that he would not allow Enebo's attorney to bring in past allegations of priest misconduct. Attorney Robert Schultz wanted to use the evidence to show Enebo was treated differently than male employees.

Irby said priests aren't considered diocesan employees and that introducing such evidence would be too prejudicial.

On the stand, Enebo said she once considered her diocesan job one of the best she ever had. She started to cry while discussing how difficult it was to tell her supervisor, Scott Hoselton, of the pregnancy.

Enebo, who worked on the same floor as a bishop and had contact with priests, said she knew her situation was going to embarrbutt the diocese.

In a memo two days after her disclosure, Hoselton told her that "at this time you are unmarried, which creates the underlying dilemma." He changed her breastle to secretary, a move Enebo considered a demotion.

The memo also told her, "You will begin immediate steps to reconcile yourself with the Church."

Enebo said she wasn't sure what that meant. She wasn't Catholic, so she knew she couldn't enter the sacrament of reconciliation. Enebo said Hoselton asked her if she had considered adoption, but she wanted to keep the child.

After Enebo gave birth and returned to work, Hoselton learned Enebo was living with the child's father. He gave her 30 days to begin changing that.

Enebo, who had complications with the birth, said the child's father was only sleeping on the couch for her safety. She said she quit loveual relations with him in an effort to comply with Hoselton's wishes, and the two considered marriage.

In an effort to show Enebo wasn't discriminated by gender, Thomas said he would show jurors a male employee of the diocese who received a similar warning about cohabitating. That man changed his arrangements to keep his job, Thomas said.

Testimony continues today.

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The person mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send peace, but a sword. "For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. "And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. - Matthew 10:34-36.

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