Thursday, February 20, 2014

Catholic bling bling

Two stories of Catholic excess hit the press recently:

Newark archbishop's future retirement home undergoing a $500K addition

The 4,500-square-foot home sits on 8.2 wooded acres in the hills of Hunterdon County. With five bedrooms, three full bathrooms, a three-car garage and a big outdoor pool, it’s valued at nearly $800,000, records show.

But it’s not quite roomy enough for Newark Archbishop John J. Myers.

Bling bishop used charity millions for HQ: report

Bishop of Limburg Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was suspended by Pope Francis in October after public anger and a media storm over the spending on his headquarters in Hesse, central Germany.

It led him to be dubbed the “Bishop of Bling”.

A church investigation into the spending, which included €350,000 on wardrobes, is expected to be published in the coming days.

Both case are egregious examples of financial excess. Does a retired archbishop really need a mansion for his retirement? It flies in the face of church dedicated to charity. The Bishop of Bling, well all I can say is wtf!