I have to somewhat agree with Donohue here. Courting rich, old widows is a Church tradition for eons.
Some may have a problem with it but quite frankly, this has provided the Church with a lot of religious value. I can think of rectories, retreat houses and college campus buildings that were all received from weathly widows.
Their wealth could go on to do much worse.
When a liberal monastery, with a community of about 60 monks, recieves 29 million from 2 old widows, its celebrated! Thats $500k per monk (each of whom is upposed to live in poverty). But the liberal press LOVES that gift.
But a priest who has not taken a vow of poverty gets $500k and he is evil.....
St Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana, for those who were wondering.
He used the money to buy a summer home at the Jersey Shore with the rest of the BENNY's. And then sold it for a profit which he kept for himself. Hey, if he would have put it in the church's name as a summer retreat that may have been ok.
If Woolsey had built a retreat house, there wouldn't be any issue here.
Diocesan priests don't take vows of poverty, but stuffing a half-million dollars under your rabat for your own use is a shabby thing for a priest to do.
Archbishop Myers of Newark turned a retreat house INTO a second residence for himself, to the tune of $500,000 of diocesan money for the refurbishment.
No vows broken, but it just looks very unseemly for men who are following Him who had nowhere to lay His Head to be living like CEOs.
Lots of priests console themselves for their vow of celibacy by indulging themselves in material things. A Jesuit priest (Fr. Shaughnessy?) wrote a very sharp critique of this behavior, along with a stinging rebuke of priests who break their vow of celibacy. It's been posted here.
Like what, a ladder for a paraplegic?