PENNSYLVANIA
The Express-Times

JAMES GOODNESS
Director of Communicaions
Archdiocese of Newark
Newark

I’m responding to The Express-Times editorial about the archbishop of Newark’s retirement home (“Bishops’ homes are over the top,” April 16).

In the days since the Faithful America petition was delivered, we have reviewed it thoroughly. From a claimed 22,500 signatures (their number/statement):

* Only 483 names claim residency in the archdiocese. However, none of these provided evidence or corroboration of affiliation as donors, parishioners, or members of the Catholic faith. (Of the 483, only 13 are actual signatures.)

* There are numerous duplicate entries/listing of names.

* 100 pages (two-sided) in the document are totally blank.

* 50 pages of blogging appear (as if lifted from newspaper sources).

* 98 percent of the document is a typed listing of names/towns from states other than New Jersey — primarily the Midwest and West…