Questions rise about costs of new archbishop's residence in Atlanta
March 25, 2014
Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta has moved into a spacious new residence, built at a cost of $2.2 million, the Journal-Constitution reports. The archbishop’s former residence is now being converted into a rectory for priests serving at the cathedral parish, at an equal cost of $2.2 million.
The costs for these buildings are being funded by the proceeds from a bequest left to the Atlanta archdiocese by an heir to Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone With the Wind. The choice to spend the money on new residences, rather than on schools or charitable programs, has raised questions in Atlanta. Archbishop Gregory has said that his new 6,000-square-foot residence will give him more opportunities to entertain the faithful of the archdiocese.
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Posted by: unum -
Mar. 25, 2014 7:08 PM ET USA
The USCCB is not getting the message from Pope Francis. Many of the US Church royalty is still writing letters about he faith to the "little people" as they "entertain" community leaders in their palaces. (In fairness, my bishop writes letters, but lives in a rectory.) They need to be living out of a suitcase as they "kick butt" in the parishes to re-evangelize the faithful. Instead, they are sending letters and writing Diocesan newspaper articles from "on High"! And Jesus wept!
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Posted by: jg23753479 -
Mar. 25, 2014 5:25 PM ET USA
The archbishop must have been entertaining the weekend the pope urged the Church's bishops to live a life of sacrifice in keeping with the ideal of a poor church, not one where the question du jour is whether to serve lobster thermidor aux crevettes or beef bourguignon. Tell me: Are all these fellows in red stone deaf? Blind as plants? Do they even read the newspapers occasionally?
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Posted by: jgmiller -
Mar. 25, 2014 2:29 PM ET USA
Entertain? Does he mean he has a soup kitchen and bunks for homeless? Or will it be a place that diocesan faithful can use free of charge for meetings and conferences and fund raisers? A private chapel for perpetual adoration? Or is this like Nero entertaining as he watched Rome burn?
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Posted by: Defender -
Mar. 25, 2014 1:23 PM ET USA
Perhaps the bishops haven't heard that there are many unemployed who can't afford to send their children to schools, let alone have enough food for their families? Millions of dollars wasted to entertain? Millions wasted on a Protestant cathedral's conversion? How much wasted on their travels here and there? What a waste indeed!
