New Jersey archbishop sells church assets to build himself an indoor swimming pool (the IRONY!)

[hue]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/05/new-jersey-archbishop-sells-church-assets-to-build-himself-an-indoor-swimming-pool/

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Roman Catholic archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, is facing mounting criticism over his plan to spend $500,000, mostly from the sale of church assets, on a extension to a countryside house where he will soon spend his retirement.

Some local Catholics are refusing to contribute to church collections in protest at Archbishop John Myers’ planned 3,000-square-foot (280-square-meter) extension, saying he is failing to follow the austerity of both Pope Francis and Jesus Christ.
“It’s vulgar … The church is changing around him,” said Kevin Davitt, a parishioner at St Catharine’s Church in Glen Rock who has stopped donating to church appeals.

“He loves the pomp and circumstance, he loves the robes. That’s his world. There’s an obvious tone-deafness about him,” said Davitt in a telephone interview.

News of the three-story extension has consumed worshippers in the archdiocese since the plans were first reported by the Newark Star-Ledger two weeks ago. The building will include a library, an indoor exercise pool and what the newspaper described as a hot tub.

The archdiocese has implored parishioners to reconsider their protest.

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"The house was originally bought by the archdiocese in 2002 for $700,000 and is currently used as a weekend escape from downtown Newark by Myers."

Yet the Catholic Church is soliciting it's Parishioners who are struggling for more $$ for the poor!!

[Dawson Leery]

1. Nothing new for the RCC.

The born again/fundies have followed the model too.

[snooper2]

2. why would the parishioners be suprised?

They are paying into a racket...

With nothing to show for it, except for some quality time with like minded friends

[hughee99]

3. It's money well spent. Do you know how much it costs to heat an OUTDOOR pool in the

New Jersey winter? They'll save the money in heating costs alone... unless your suggesting he doesn't get a new pool at all, but that's just crazy talk.


And BTW, "Weekend escape"? Isn't the weekend supposed to be "work time" for the catholic clergy?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

9. that "escape" language caught my eye, too.

Aren't men of the cloth supposed to be working on weekends? Marriages on saturday, baptisms, and then those mass thingies on Sunday?

Then again, the pressure of which hand made shoe goes best with his gilt and jewel encrusted jacket might cause a lot of stress.

[joeybee12]

11. AND...the guy's getting the holy water he'll fill the pool with at cost!

Geesh, give the guy a break...he's only doing what's needed!

[Blue Owl]

4. Tell him to go jump in a lake -- of FIRE!

n/t

[Capt. Obvious]

5. I'm curious

does his congregation look like him?

[hue]

6. I doubt, at least they dress like him. & prob don't have a dresser.

[geek tragedy]

7. where's Pope Hope n Change? Goodness knows if this guy

endorsed women in the priesthood instead of openly embezzling church assets he'd get shitcanned.

[hue]

8. How can "average Catholic sheeple" not see this for what it is?????

[Archae]

10. Why does he need that mansion in the first place?

He has no wife and family.

No, he reminds me of that German bigwig in the Church who pent millions on his mansion out of church money.

[H2O Man]

12. Obscene.

Some people in the catholic church are terrible excuses for human beings. This is an ugly example of evil.

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