The Archbishop Plays - and the "Laity" Pays!
Detroit, Michigan Archbishop Adam Maida has dumped an extra $36-40 million of debt on his archdiocese for being the main supporter of the "Pope John Paul II Cultural Center" in Washington, DC, which opened in March 2001. This was reported in a Washington Post Feb 12 article titled, "DC Papal Museum Struggles for Financial Foothold, Focus."
This museum is a 100,000 sq ft facility on a 12 acre campus. Its purpose was to be a place, "where scholars would research Catholicism's role and influence, where religious leaders would gather for interfaith dialogue, where regular people would explore God and spirituality."
The problem is – attendance has only been 16-40% of what was forecast! So the red ink is piling up.
Archbishop Maida was the driving force behind this museum, starting in 1989. It's rather obvious he was using this as a tool to kiss up to Pope John Paul II. And the great thing for the archbishop is – his "flock" gets to pay for it!!
Also – Five years after its opening, there is still NO SCHEDULE for repaying the Detroit archdiocese! The museum director said:
"I think there were presumptions, not per se a plan (for repayment). The matter is under review and the archdiocese remains confident that its investment is secured by the building and the property."
Comment – I wish I could get loan terms like that.
Of course, the archdiocese has been hiding the information on this debt. It was not made public until Feb 2 in a Catholic magazine, the National Catholic Reporter.
Naturally, Detroit area Catholics are upset. Detroit nun Cathey DeSantis, executive director of the Detroit Pastoral Alliance, was quoted in the Feb 2 National Catholic Reporter article titled, "Financially Strapped Archdiocese Subsidizes Troubled Center:"
"The disgrace to me is that we're closing churches in many instances because they can't pay back loans which don't even come close to what the diocese loaned the center. We've been suspecting this for a very long time but we can't get the information (about these bad loans) from the archdiocese for obvious reasons."
Comment – Sorry, Sister DeSantis, but your archbishop really doesn't care about what you and the "laity" have to say.
Maida turned 75 last year, so as required by church law he's already turned in his resignation letter. Maida will have a nice, cushy retirement, while Detroit Catholics foot the bill for his slurping up to the pope.
May God use this to show Catholics the false nature of their church, grant them repentance from Catholicism, and give them faith ALONE in Christ for the full and free forgiveness of sins – no Archbishop Maida, or any Roman priest needed!
This museum is a 100,000 sq ft facility on a 12 acre campus. Its purpose was to be a place, "where scholars would research Catholicism's role and influence, where religious leaders would gather for interfaith dialogue, where regular people would explore God and spirituality."
The problem is – attendance has only been 16-40% of what was forecast! So the red ink is piling up.
Archbishop Maida was the driving force behind this museum, starting in 1989. It's rather obvious he was using this as a tool to kiss up to Pope John Paul II. And the great thing for the archbishop is – his "flock" gets to pay for it!!
Also – Five years after its opening, there is still NO SCHEDULE for repaying the Detroit archdiocese! The museum director said:
"I think there were presumptions, not per se a plan (for repayment). The matter is under review and the archdiocese remains confident that its investment is secured by the building and the property."
Comment – I wish I could get loan terms like that.
Of course, the archdiocese has been hiding the information on this debt. It was not made public until Feb 2 in a Catholic magazine, the National Catholic Reporter.
Naturally, Detroit area Catholics are upset. Detroit nun Cathey DeSantis, executive director of the Detroit Pastoral Alliance, was quoted in the Feb 2 National Catholic Reporter article titled, "Financially Strapped Archdiocese Subsidizes Troubled Center:"
"The disgrace to me is that we're closing churches in many instances because they can't pay back loans which don't even come close to what the diocese loaned the center. We've been suspecting this for a very long time but we can't get the information (about these bad loans) from the archdiocese for obvious reasons."
Comment – Sorry, Sister DeSantis, but your archbishop really doesn't care about what you and the "laity" have to say.
Maida turned 75 last year, so as required by church law he's already turned in his resignation letter. Maida will have a nice, cushy retirement, while Detroit Catholics foot the bill for his slurping up to the pope.
May God use this to show Catholics the false nature of their church, grant them repentance from Catholicism, and give them faith ALONE in Christ for the full and free forgiveness of sins – no Archbishop Maida, or any Roman priest needed!
posted by Robt. B. at 3:40 AM
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