Posted on 04/05/2014 1:39:31 PM PDT by NYer
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Details from the Associated Press:
Trying to appease angry parishioners, the archbishop of Atlanta said Saturday that he will sell a $2.2 million mansion just three months after he moved in.
Archbishop Wilton Gregory announced the decision following a closed-door meeting with members of several church councils at his headquarters north of Atlanta. He publicly apologized Monday for building the Tudor-style residence and offered to move elsewhere.
“I have decided to sell the Habersham property and invest the proceeds from that sale into the needs of the Catholic community,” Gregory told The Associated Press after the meeting.
A reader in Atlanta sent me the official word:
After consultation with the members who were available to attend from the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, Archdiocesan Finance Council, and the Council of Priests, and hundreds of well-meaning parishioners of differing points of view some who sent written observations, as well as my own personal reflection and prayer, I have decided to sell the Habersham property and invest the proceeds from that sale into the needs of the Catholic community.
In early May, I will vacate the house. At this time we are considering a number of locations including another Archdiocesan property excluding the former residence.
I want to thank those parishioners whose prayers, counsel and concern brought this issue to light and ensured that their Archbishop was properly attuned to the important symbolism of simple actions and the challenges faced by many of the faithful in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
We are now at the close of the Lenten season preparing for Easter. I pray for the peace of our Lord to be in our hearts, in our families, and in our world.
Ping!
Humility is lacking in much of the episcopacy in Christianity. I cannot imagine a United Methodist bishop showing such willingness to accede to his parishoner’s sentiments.
He paid for this with personal investments didn’t he? Not with church funds.
Did he get confused and think he was a TV Evangelist?
Why not move further south, down Mexico way. Buy yourself a modest hacienda and tend to the Catholic community down there that your fellow bishops are so concerned about that they feel the need to bring them here.
The following quote is from freeper AnAmericanMother, who is much more familiar with the situation.
Well, the Ga. Bulletin hit the mailbox this afternoon with the financial numbers. For everybody who has been trashing the Archbishop, here's a quick summary of the Mitchell bequest and the way the money was spent. AS USUAL, the AJC got it all wrong, and the Archdiocese clearly spent the money in a prudent fashion.Only $300K of the bequest to the Archdiocese was spent on the "$2.2 million home". So to those of you who were saying "the Archbishop ought to spend no more than $200K on a house" . . . he was close.
The real property was free and clear as part of the bequest. $1.9M was realized by selling the old archbishop's residence to the Cathedral for use as the Cathedral rectory. Mr. Mitchell left $ 15 million to the Archdiocese in liquid assets. Of that, $3.75M went directly to charitable use - Catholic Charities Atlanta and several other charities. Another $3.75M went to Catholic schools in the Archdiocese, parish endowments, the Disadvantaged Parish Fund, and the Priests' Pension fund (split just about evenly among them). $7.5M went to capital investment in the Cathedral property.
Have you ever seen Pastor Melissa Scott ?
Nyer, Thank you and anAmericanMother for the clarification that the mansion came as a give to the church from the estate of the late Mr. Mitchell.
You do realize that he is black, don't you? So are you being racist here?
Why are you saying this about him moving to Mexico?
Wilton Gregory was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Wilton and Ethel (née Duncan) Gregory.[1] One of three children, he has two sisters
You do know there are black Mexicans, do you not?
You're throwing the "racist" card is ridiculous. Sounds like something Obama would do.
P.S. Others, besides you, know how to use search engines.
Keeping it, leasing it, and giving the proceeds to something worthwhile seems to make as much sense as selling it at this point.
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