CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Vatican is taking more time to consider appeals against recent church closings by Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.At least five churches have received letters this week from a Vatican panel stating that it has extended a deadline for evaluating the appeals.
Letter recipients include St. Emeric, the 106-year-old Hungarian church where parishioners staged a 16-hour sit-in two weeks ago when it became the last of 50 parishes to be closed by Bishop Richard Lennon.
The leader of a group of church members fighting to save Cleveland parishes calls the Vatican's extension "encouraging."
Catholic church law expert Peter Borre says the Vatican is simply giving itself more time because it's "overwhelmed" with U.S. church closing appeals.
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