DISQUS

khughes1963 · 2 months ago

Amen. It reminds me of Jimmy Breslin's accounts of how Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, NY, moved a convent of sisters out of their convent and took it over to make plush living quarters for himself. Breslin appropriately christened Bishop Murphy as "Mansion Murphy." It is the same principle, don't expect the faithful to give up their parishes while you live well on their dimes.. I give outgoing Archbishop Pilarczyk credit for living in a downtown Cincinnati apartment, although the new Cincinnati archbishop bought a house in Anderson Township (not a bad area, but not the plushest, either.)

I don't think the NOM or the No on 1 proponents really want people to know where the money for their initiative is coming from.

colkoch · 2 months ago

I don't think they do either because the same names will come up over and over again, and there won't be very many of them.

Bishop Malone's carbon footprint must be quite large. Certainly big enough to squash a few diocesan programs and stomp on a parish or two. Keep it up boys, the native are getting more and more restless.

WDL · 2 months ago

I think you're right, Colleen--same names, same groups, those who have now oriented their whole church life around forcing the rest of Americans to defend their own religiously-grounded views of marriage.

I also think the game with NOM now is to try to keep full disclosure at bay until after the elections are over. But even if it happens then, we're accumulating evidence about how these anti-gay battles are being fought, which is valuable for the next battle. In some ways, the victory of these groups with prop 8 was a pyrrhic victory, because they have now exposed themselves decisively as bigots with financial ties to some shameless religious groups trying to tamper with American democracy.

WDL · 2 months ago

Kathy, I've thought of Murphy, too, as I've read about Malone. Both seem to have a taste for opulence, though in Murphy's case, it was really extreme, with all the state-of-the-art kitchen and wine-cellar facilities he built into his palace.

Paralleling Murphy's dispossession of those sisters, there are stories that Malone has put a number of elderly retired priests out of their living quarters while passing the hat for money to maintain his mansion.

I'll never forget Raymond Hunthausen's gospel-oriented gesture of giving up his episcopal residence and living in a simple house. And then look at what Rome did to him.

DoubtingThomas · 2 months ago

I remember something like this happening once before, about...oh, 500 years ago? As I recall, that didn't end so well...

WDL · 2 months ago

Not entirely sure I understand, Thomas. Is your point that the Reformation was fueled by the lavish living of many bishops of that period?

DoubtingThomas · 2 months ago

Basically.

This kind of lavish living was one of many issues which lead to Martin Luther breaking off from the Church.

WDL · 2 months ago

Thomas, thanks for clarifying. I thought that was what you meant, but wasn't sure.