The Rev. Jonathan Meyer, a priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church in
Indianapolis, is refusing to let the widow of a NASCAR enthusiast use
the $9,600 black granite headstone she purchased to honor her late
husband, the Associated Press reported Sunday.
The Indiana woman, Sharon Carr, is suing the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Indianapolis, arguing that the clergy gave her no
regulations for the plot of her husband, Jason Carr, who died in an
August 2009 automobile accident, until after she tried to have the
headstone put up.
Meyer reportedly refused on the grounds that it did
not meet the cemetery’s aesthetic standards and claims the rules were
known prior to burial.
“We have consistently communicated the same message prior to the
purchase and after the purchase,” he said. “We did not think a granite
couch was an appropriate monument in our historic cemetery.”
The
headstone is shaped like a couch and features images of a deer, a dog
and color logos of NASCAR and the Indianapolis Colts, capturing Jason
Carr’s interests in sports and the outdoors.
The issue has divided the
church community and sparked allegations that the church hasn’t treated
Carr’s family with compassion, which Meyer denies.
Sharon Carr has
refused to speak publicly about the case.