"Atlanta archbishop apologizes for posh $2.2m home; Cleric yields to critics, pope’s message" by Ray Henry and Rachel Zoll | Associated Press April 02, 2014
ATLANTA — Archbishop Wilton Gregory seems to have gotten the pope’s message about modest living.
Days after Pope Francis permanently removed a German bishop for his lavish spending on a new residence, the Atlanta archbishop apologized for building a $2.2 million mansion as his residence. He bowed to criticism from local parishioners and said he would consider selling the new home in Buckhead, Atlanta’s toniest neighborhood.
In letters, e-mails, and a meeting, local Catholics told Gregory the price tag was outlandish, especially in light of Francis’ frugality. The Tudor-style mansion, stretching nearly 6,400 square feet, includes two dining rooms and a safe room. The archbishop said the new pope has ‘‘set the bar’’ for church leaders and others, and Gregory said he hadn’t looked at the project’s cost in terms of his own ‘‘integrity and pastoral credibility.’’
‘‘I failed to consider the impact on the families throughout the archdiocese who, though struggling to pay their mortgages, utilities, tuition, and other bills, faithfully respond year after year to my pleas to assist with funding our ministries and services,’’ Gregory wrote late Monday on the website of the archdiocesan newspaper....
Gregory initially defended the decision as an accommodation he had made for the sake of the cathedral. But parishioners raised questions, and some met with him to directly voice their concern about the expenditure....
It’s a challenge bishops will be facing more pointedly — and publicly — in the age of Francis.
In the Archdiocese of Newark, parishioners have criticized Archbishop John Myers, and withheld some donations, after they learned the archdiocese was spending at least $500,000 to expand his retirement home, adding an indoor therapy pool, fireplaces, and an office library.
*******************
‘‘More people are thinking about it, how to tone it down as far as their living arrangements,’’ said Russell Shaw, a former spokesman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and a Catholic writer.
The Vatican declined to comment Tuesday.
Pope Francis has made clear he expects his priests and bishops to follow his example of humility, imploring them to refrain from driving fancy cars or using the latest iPhone. To emphasize the point, Francis convened the heads of all Vatican offices Tuesday to discuss implementing his apostolic exhortation ‘‘The Joy of the Gospel.’’
In the statement, Francis denounces the ‘‘idolatry of money,’’ self-indulgence, and ‘‘insidious worldliness’’ within the church, and laments how the poor have been excluded from the global economy.
Gregory’s new residence was made possible by a $15 million gift from the nephew of Margaret Mitchell, the author of the Civil War epic ‘‘Gone With The Wind.’’
--more--"
"Atlanta archbishop: Mansion likely to be sold" by RAY HENRY | Associated Press April 03, 2014
SMYRNA, Ga. — After strong objections from local Roman Catholics, Archbishop Wilton Gregory said in an interview Wednesday that he believes the church will probably sell a $2.2 million mansion built for his own use.
The top-ranking churchman in Atlanta said he will decide what to do with the Tudor-style mansion in Atlanta’s toniest neighborhood after consulting with several church councils. Under church rules, the archbishop alone has the authority to sell the nearly 6,400-square-foot home.
Still, Gregory said he wants advice from others in his diocese before making the final call. The prelate said he has not discussed the controversy with his church superiors. He sent documents this week describing the decision to buy and build the property — including his public letter of apology — to the pope’s ambassador in Washington.
************
The archbishop has come under criticism since moving into the massive home in January. It has an upper-level safe room, an eight-burner kitchen stove, an elevator, public and private offices, and two dining rooms. It was initially envisioned as more opulent.
Gregory sold his old residence to Christ The King Cathedral so it could move its priests into the archbishop’s former home. The cathedral purchased Gregory’s old home for $1.9 million using funds donated to it after the death of Joseph Mitchell, the nephew of the author of the Civil War epic ‘‘Gone With The Wind.’’
With the money from that sale and additional funds from the diocese, Gregory built his new mansion in Buckhead.
--more--"
I'm surprised that a Catholic would be so selfie-centered.
Related: Unholy Trinities
Also see: Boy Scouts oust gay troop leader in Seattle
