I was born in the early years of the formation of the Diocese of Steubenville and lived my entire Catholic life in this Diocese. Like many others, I am having a difficult time understanding the facts vs. the lies of the proposed merger.

Bishop Jeffrey Monforton announced the merger in October 2022 and it’s been a rollercoaster ride ever since. First, it was his idea and then it was the idea of many people? Then it was the idea of the bishops. Whose idea was it?

He presented it as a done deal (which was not the case.)

According to the priests of the diocese, the basic obligations of such a merger were not followed. Priests were not notified.

Two investigations for scandals (sex scandal and money cleanup scandal) were conducted during Monforton’s tenure. Money was raised to upgrade Holy Name Cathedral, then to be used for a new cathedral. The cathedral was locked up and left abandoned. And no new cathedral was built. From a lay person’s view, Monforton was raised to the rank of bishop with zero experience and zero administrative skills. A setup? So, finally, Monforton (maybe the sacrificial lamb) was demoted to auxiliary bishop. Make no mistake, that was a punitive move! Was this whole Monforton tenure a setup? I believe it was.

Enter Bishop Paul Bradley. After much research and prayer, Bradley concluded that the diocese was viable — and that was the end of his short tenure as our bishop. Bradley was conscientious and honest in his evaluation, and, because of that, he was immediately removed and dismissed, and in the presence of other bishops. (Perhaps that was a sign to let all the bishops know they better “play the game!”) A setup?

Enter: Bishop Edward Lohse, the apostolic administrator: No doubt assigned to put the final nail in the coffin, he began work on his assessment of the diocese. His report indicated we have money and we have priests. But … our population is in a free fall … and that’s not true.

Here is the truth: But when you read it, remember the old adage: Figures won’t lie, but liars will figure. The issue is not the population, but the Catholic population, which calls for a need for evangelization, a responsibility of all Catholics and led by the bishop. (Monforton failed miserably in that area, also.) A setup?

Moreover, the population of the counties comprising the Diocese of Steubenville is not drastically shrinking. While there is a decline from the high point, the facts reveal that during a period of 70 years, the population of these counties remained stable, hovering around 500,000 people.

In 1950, the diocesan population was 503,204 people and the 2020 population was 496,221. That is less than 2 percent — less than 2 percent. The difference between those years is that in 1950, the Catholic population made up 12.4 percent of the total population while in 2020 the percentage was 6.1 percent. This percentage is consistent with the Diocese of Steubenville being classified as a mission diocese, in fact the only diocese in Ohio completely located within Appalachia.

If you look at Lohse’s report, the data from 1980-2010 found that it was in our counties up north where the largest population declines happened in the 1980s when the mills declined. Since then, there has been more stability.

Losing our diocese and being forced to merge with the Diocese of Columbus, which has its own unique problems, does not make sense. If you put two groups together, each with their own distinct set of problems, all you will have is a larger group with many more problems. A fifth-grader can figure that out.

For those of us in the Steubenville diocese, being a small diocese makes sense. We have been fortunate to have a real connection to our bishops. We, and our children and grandchildren, have received their first sacraments from the bishop. Our kids have served as pontifical servers. They knew the bishop. He was their bishop.

Do you think for one minute we could have a relationship like that with a bishop who has a monumental-sized flock with monumental problems and is 145 miles away? I think not.

And consider the folks in this Appalachian rural diocese: What access will they have to the bishop, or even their churches?

It is almost a sure thing that with the merger will come the closing of churches.

I am praying for divine intervention — that God will look at this ridiculous plan and say: “Enough!” And that Columbus and the church can find a more reasonable solution for Columbus’ problems.

For information, check out The Pillars Podcast, Episode 203: “A Rollercoaster in Steubenville,” which ends with this profound thought: “A church not of the poor but of financially secure city slickers. How uninspiring!”

Read this article in Crisis Magazine: “Should Steubenville Cut Bait or Be Allowed to Let Down the Nets?”

We were to be the test case.

And my opinion is still the same: The whole thing was a setup.

(Fabbro is a resident of Steubenville)