Ledes from the Land of Enchantment

Albuquerque priest abandons basketball game after some spectators refused to wear masks

He then decided to step onto the pitch mid-game to address the crowd and captured a video on his phone.

“I’m the Catholic priest here, you’re in our house,” Chavez said in the video. He also said that according to state law and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, masks must be worn inside.

In the video, part of the crowd can be heard reacting negatively.

“So we’re asking you to put masks on or the doors are here and there,” Chavez said.

At one point a person comes forward and says, “Our boys are trying to play. It doesn’t cost you anything to put your mask on, just put it on for our kids to play.”

One of the people seen without a mask replies: “Mind your own business. I’ll drink, thanks.”

The man was holding a water bottle, but after a few seconds, Chavez decides to abandon the game.

KOB 4 approached the Albuquerque Parochial and Independent Athletic League, which oversees these games. We were told teams at the game were given a one-week temporary ban, which has since been lifted. The teams concerned are now going through a trial period for an indefinite period. However, one of the schools says no action has been taken against them.

A representative from Hope Christian School sent this statement to KOB 4:

“Hope Christian School participated in a basketball game for middle school boys held on January 7, 2022 at St. Therese Gymnasium. Hope Christian School’s parents, players or coaches were not directly involved in the incident and no disciplinary action was taken against Hope Christian School.”

A Legacy Academy spokesperson shared the following statement:

“With a series of games underway, Legacy Academy parents got into a tense situation that was already screaming. At one point someone yelled at the priest about the mask because he was drinking water at the time. After the incident, we agreed to a “probation” to allow our children to play again, and we reminded our parents to follow the rules of the host’s gym. While we believe it is unfair to fixate on us, it is even more unfair to the children to prolong the grievance process. We understand that our approach will allow our student-athletes to complete their full season.”

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