NEW JERSEY
Express-Times
By Express-Times opinion staff
on April 16, 2014
Simple living. Sacrifice. Service to the poor.
Pope Francis’ emphasis on everyday people and his rejection of the material trappings of the papacy have registered with Catholics and non-Catholics alike. His leadership by example is speaking loudly to both clergy and parishioners.
But it’s not registering as forcefully as many church members in the Diocese of Newark would like. More than 22,000 have signed a petition asking why Archbishop John J. Myers needs $500,000 in diocese money for an addition to his $700,000 home in Franklin Township, Hunterdon County, which he uses on weekends and which will become his retirement in a few years.
At a time when church members are struggling to pay mortgages, dealing with the closing of Catholic schools, reacting to sex-abuse scandals — and in many parts of the world, confronting issues of daily survival — they’re objecting to the bishop’s quest for such a large, luxurious home. The expansion at the Hunterdon property includes an elevator, hot tub, an indoor exercise pool and a library, bringing the residence to 7,500 square feet.
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