Steubenville priests: Diocese needs change, not merger

Priests in Steubenville have asked Ohio's bishops to reconsider a plan to merge their diocese.

Bishop Jeff Monforton says a plan to merge the Diocese of Steubenville into its larger neighbor could become a template for the merger of other small, struggling U.S. dioceses.

But more than a dozen priests of the diocese have signed a letter asking Ohio’s bishops to reconsider their support for a plan to merge Steubenville with the Diocese of Columbus. …