If Only We Could All Live Like These Catholic Archbishops!

[mr blur]

Daniel Burke of CNN and research librarian Lindsey Knight went through publicly available state and local government tax records, confirmed their findings with Catholic Church officials, and are reporting that “10 of the 34 active archbishops in the United States live in buildings worth more than $1 million.”

Check out the digs for New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan:



That place is worth more than $30,000,000, according to one appraisal company.

And Dolan doesn’t even have a wife or kids.*

-SNIP-

(* That we know about)

(snidey comment mine, not Hemant Mehta's)

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/08/04/if-only-we-could-all-live-like-these-catholic-archbishops/

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. You should see that cemetery in Milwaukee

The diocese moved 24 MILLION out of a general fund (which would have paid off kids who were screwed and raped by its priests) into a special fund to keep up a cemetery. Except an audit shows that upkeep of the cemetery could be done reasonably for less than $100,000 a year - forever. That means to further protect the church against its victims, that cemetery will remain green and clean for another 240 years, not including interest.

[onager]

3. Ha! The L.A. Archdiocese did just the opposite.

Pulled $$$ out of the Cemetery Fund to pay off victims. That's illegal if anybody else does it. But the church gets a pass, as usual.

Cardinal Mahony used cemetery money to pay sex abuse settlement

By Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times - February 9, 2013, 9:45 PM

Pressed to come up with hundreds of millions of dollars to settle clergy sex abuse lawsuits, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony turned to one group of Catholics whose faith could not be shaken: the dead.

Excuse me...

Under his leadership in 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles quietly appropriated $115 million from a cemetery maintenance fund and used it to help pay a landmark settlement with molestation victims.

The church did not inform relatives of the deceased that it had taken the money, which amounted to 88% of the fund. Families of those buried in church-owned cemeteries and interred in its mausoleums have contributed to a dedicated account for the perpetual care of graves, crypts and grounds since the 1890s...

The church's use of fund money appears to be legal. State law prohibits private cemeteries from touching the principal of their perpetual care funds and bars them from using the interest on those funds for anything other than maintenance. Those laws, however, do not apply to cemeteries run by religious organizations.

More at link:

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-church-cemetery-fund-20130210-story.html#page=1

[Warpy]

2. Yes, that vow of poverty just means the church owns the property

stuffed with antiques and fine art with the full staff of servants. That's some dodge. I doubt if the early church leaders ever envisioned the princes of the church living like, well, princes.

I'll believe they are serious about anything once they start divesting this stuff and busting the hierarchy down to mere humans.

[amuse bouche]

4. Dolan is as creepy and disgusting as they come

The sight of him, makes me retch

[Heddi]

5. Says you

Wow just wow. not all believers are like that. Most parsonages are small single-room dwellings for an entire family to live. Very meager. I should know because my dad was a minister.

I'm an atheist, but I personally prefer the term apatheist. I should know, my father was a minister for a very small, very loving, very poor, very liberal church. I should know. My father was a minister. Not all Christians are like that. I should know. My father was a minister. You know, if you tax churches you'll have to tax other non-profits. I should know because my father was a minister. Do you have any idea how helpful Catholic charities are? They pick up the slack where the government fails. I should know because my father was a minister.

[mr blur]

6. So, do you have any personal connections with this kind of thing? - say,

a family connection, perhaps?

[Heddi]

7. Wow just wow

Not all believers are like that

[mr blur]

8. Take a nap

You have no idea what I believe!

[Heddi]

9. Says you

I should know. I'm an atheist but I have no tolerance for anti-theists. My father was a minister.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

10. LOL, this whole subthread almost made me shit myself with laughter

What a good bunch of knitters ya'll are!

[Heddi]

13. I'm knitting a merkin

I found a large stash of funny fur in my yarn stach. Stache.

it's art, by the way. No laffing.

[Arugula Latte]

11. Heddi, the OP didn't say "all Christian ministers"; it said "these Catholic Archbishops"

It was referring to a very specific group. Frankly, I don't get your reaction.

[Heddi]

12. Not all catholic archbishops are like that

I should know. My father was a Catholic Archbishop

[mr blur]

14. !!

[Heddi]

15. ta-dah

[Lordquinton]

16. Visit the not all like that project

www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/

M'laity

[Heddi]

17. not all "not all like thats" are like that

I should know, my father was a man.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

18. Hey it happens sometimes!

Look up Father Cutie (who is a cutie) in Miami, who was caught frolicking with his girlfriend on a beach, and left the Catholic Church and married her and has two kids now. He went to the Episcopal Church.

And in Art History, we learned about Fra Fillippo Lippi, and the pretty young nun he used for a model while painting, and she produced Fra Fillippino Lippi. They excused Fra Fillippo for his sin of fornication because he was such a good painter! His son was a pretty good painter too!

I think if the Catholic Church doesn't get rid of their antiquated policies on celibacy, they should not be surprised that some of the priests who would rather be married go to the Episcopal Church instead.

I used to go to a Methodist church that was high church, lots of ceremony (known colloquially as smells and bells) and choral responses in Anglican (four-part) chant. I liked it because the music changed every week and we sang lots of short things, instead of being mired in Protestant dirges inflicted by Martin Luther and the Wesleys. Later the minister was at Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral. It did not surprise me that the minister changed to the Episcopal Church because he liked the ceremony.

[Warren Stupidity]

19. lol. Do you have any idea how ridiculous that is?

[trotsky]

21. ...

[trotsky]

22. Frankly, Arugula, that's just your opinion.

You could be right, and you could be wrong.

Some people feel that Catholic Archbishops are all Christian ministers, and can you prove them wrong? I didn't think so. So therefore I declare you a rabid anti-theist who is evil and carrying water for the Republican party.

I will accept your apoplexy if you offer one, however.

[trotsky]

20. Apoplexy accepted!

It's a good thing you're not mediocre!

[LostOne4Ever]

23. ROFLMAO!!! (nt)