SEVEN WAYS CNN GETS IT WRONG ON BISHOPS’ RESIDENCES

Catholic Vote ^ | August 5, 2014 | JOSHUA BOWMAN

[NYer]

CNN published an inflammatory and provocative piece of link-bait over the weekend criticizing the Catholic Church because some of the larger archdioceses happen to have “lavish homes” for their archbishops. In the process of concern-trolling for a religion he clearly despises, the writer, Daniel Burke, reveals how little he understands about the Catholic Church. Below are just seven ways he gets it wrong.

Easter parade on Fifth Avenue in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 1904

1. They’re residences, not homes. The mansions included in this article are not the personal property of the bishops, but belong to the diocese. Every diocese in the world maintains a cathedral (sometimes multiple co-cathedrals), a chancery, and a residence for the bishop. In poorer countries, these are often the grandest buildings in the city. Typically these buildings are in close proximity to one another. Many of the cities included in this list happen to be some of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, also with the highest property values. Compounding this effect, the cathedral is usually located in a prominent location on a major street. Many of these residences were also built a century ago and the Church certainly doesn’t have to pay a mortgage for them.

2. The article compares the bishops to the idle rich, but in truth, the bishops are some of the most hard-working people in the world. In addition to attending to the administrative and judicial matters of their dioceses, bishops are also the leaders of multi-million-dollar charitable foundations and endowments and serve as the public face of the Catholic Church in the media. With all these duties, the bishop is still a priest and must say daily Mass, pray the liturgy of the hours, celebrate Eucharistic exposition and benediction, and according to Pope Francis, hear confessions. The bishops should live as close to their cathedrals as possible because every moment they spend driving around or in transit is time they could be using to care for their flock.

Highclere Castle, setting for PBS’s fictional “Downton Abbey”

3. The bishops’ residences are not exactly Downton Abbey. There are no armies of servants meticulously polishing the silver or rising at the crack of dawn to tend to massive fireplaces in every room. If the bishops have “lavish” furnishings and dinners, it is to raise money for the charities that the Church supports. Acquaintances of your humble writer who have been fortunate to attend one of these functions have attested that if anything, the dioceses spend too little on the maintenance and upkeep which befits the grandeur of these historic structures. Cardinal Dolan’s residence was once described as a “19th century funeral parlor.” According to the New York Times, Cardinal Dolan does allow himself the luxury of a chauffeur, for his Chrysler minivan. That’s not exactly the glitzy-ritzy image that the article would have you believe.

4. Perhaps CNN can run a hit-piece on the practice of many Protestant and secular charitable foundations which provide their leaders with multi-million dollar condominiums as a tax-free fringe benefit. Just this weekend, a Protestant charity purchased a Manhattan office building for $13 million. The same building also houses office for the NAACP and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Meanwhile, Trinity Episcopal Church–a mere parish, not even a diocese–owns real estate in Lower Manhattan estimated at around $2 billion, with a “B,” as in bling. Cardinal Dolan’s $30 million residence is chump change by comparison.

5. Pope Francis may have a small bedroom, but he still lives mere steps from the Basilica of St. Peter in the heart of Rome in a dormitory/hotel which cost roughly $20 million to build. If Pope Francis’s comments about frugality were an infallible dogma of the Church (which they are not), he would be equally guilty. It is exciting and wonderful to watch Pope Francis go out to minister to the people, but perhaps Daniel Burke forgets that basically every Pope has done this, whether they lived in a simple cell (albeit furnished with exquisite burled walnut and mahogany hardwoods) or the opulent Apostolic Palace. Indeed, Pope Francis is not the first to eschew the latter. Pope Julius II said, “I will not live in the same rooms as the Borgias lived!” The rooms remained disused and closed to public view until the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII several centuries later.

Martha and Mary Magdalene by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, c. 1598

6. Enemies of the Catholic Church feel free to quote scripture when it suits them, but by the same authority, Jesus told his disciples:

Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed oil, and poured it on his head while he was reclining at table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and said, “Why this waste? It could have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor.” Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, “Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me. The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me.

And also:

“[But] take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

Outward symbols of humility and charity are meaningless and empty show. What matters is what the bishops spend their time doing when they are awake, not where they sleep. Maybe CNN can do a piece showcasing a life in the day of an American cardinal. They do it for political candidates, corporate leaders, and entertainers. Why not also open a window on the tireless work of Cardinal Dolan or Cardinal George?

7. It’s easy to accuse the bishops of hypocrisy, but the same could be said of CNN. By Daniel Burke’s logic, the entire clergy–and perhaps the laity too–of the Catholic Church should abandon all worldly possessions and live as Jesus did. As long as a bishop has a warm bed and a homeless man is sleeping on a grate, one can foolishly argue that their positions should be reversed out of fairness. However, if it is morally wrong to live in a large house, shouldn’t Ted Turner (estimated net worth: $2.2 billion) sell all of his possessions and give the money to charity? If owning property is wrong, maybe the CNN media mogul could even follow the example of Saint Francis who was a rich man before giving up all his property and taking holy orders. Daniel Burke might want to run that argument by his boss before committing him to a life of poverty though.

In the long run, tearing apart these historic homes to make way for micro-apartments will not do very much. Tearing down the Church which has done so much good will ultimately only hurt the poor. The fact is, the Catholic Church has done more to help the poor than any other organization in the history of the world. Perhaps if CNN were interested in pursuing actual journalism, they could write an article about the top-ten Catholic charities that people can support, to, you know, actually help the poor.

[vladimir998]

I called you “bud” not “Bud”. I know why, but I find it more amusing to see you struggle at having no explanation. I shall, therefore, not tell you. Enjoy.

[boatbums]

“Nothing in the New Testament requires abolition of priestly vestments.”

This is another false argument that makes silence a justification for action - and this used to justify doing things as the pagans did and still do.

“Our Lord attacked the Jewish leaders for a number of sins, but he never condemned their priestly garb.”

Actually, Jesus DID:

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:1-12)

[Fantasywriter]

Okay; go ahead and act like a little child about it. I asked a polite, civil question and all you can do is dishonestly dance around like an ill-mannered grade-schooler. Suit yourself.

[Alex Murphy]

Maybe we should do a quick review of the definition of those three terms, which, without question, apply to all those individuals:

• Prominent: Widely known; famous, stands out.
• Protestant: A Western Christian who is not an adherent of the Catholic or Orthodox Church.
• Leader: A person who guides or directs a group.

A most helpful review. I don't know which is sadder - that you would define "Protestant" by what it is not, or that your definition declares Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Creflo Dollar, and Jeremiah Wright to be fellow "Christians".

Related thread:
History Lesson: Positively Protestant

[metmom]

A most helpful review. I don't know which is sadder - that you would define "Protestant" by what it is not, or that your definition declares Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Creflo Dollar, and Jeremiah Wright to be fellow "Christians".

That's pretty ironic considering that Catholics are constantly accusing us of identifying ourselves based on what we oppose, or what we are not.

But broad brushing is so much more fun and Catholics just love their labels, even when they get it wrong.

[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Sometimes you can’t pick your friends. You don’t have to like Jesse Jackson, Sharpton, Dollar, and Wright, but there is no point trying to pretend they are not Protestants, and leaders at that to a certain segment of the population.

[Karl Spooner]

FWIW, I don’t trust a single televangelist, I despise prosperity gospel teaching, would never give a nickel to the shysters, and think that they’ve done more damage to the name of Christ than any *benefit* they claim.

And they all preach the Rapture, too. Can't be nothing wrong with that!

[Karl Spooner]

Sometimes you can’t pick your friends. You don’t have to like Jesse Jackson, Sharpton, Dollar, and Wright, but there is no point trying to pretend they are not Protestants, and leaders at that to a certain segment of the population.

Are you feeling okay?

[Gamecock]

You don't believe in guilt by association, do you? Were Peter, James, John, and the other apostles blamed and condemned for the sins of Judas Iscariot, just because they were in the same group of disciples of Jesus that Judas was in?

I see some faulty logic here. I am NOT in the same group as the above mentioned shysters. Calling all none Roman Catholic Christians Protestants is just lazy bookkeeping. As much detail as the home office in Rome puts into categorizing all sorts of minutiae you would think they would be able to make a distinction between Protestant churches and others.

Regarding how many denominations we are up to now, heaven only knows. (That's kind of like asking how many babies have been born this year -- it is a fluid number that constantly keeps going up and up and up...)

You can make the claim that the number is going up and up and up but you can't even provide a baseline? Sorry. Your point now has has no credibility.

By the way, Gamecock, may I ask what denomination you belong to?

Sure!

Also, seriously, how many denominations do you believe there ought to be?

As long as they preach the Gospel the more the merrier. Those that have fallen into apostasy need to go away. Which some of them are actually doing.

You FRoman Catholics make me wonder why the fascination with what we real Prods are up to.

Mark 9:38 Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 39“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40for whoever is not against us is for us. 41Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

[metmom]

So what gives Catholics the right to label who is a Protestant and who is not?

Do you all want non-Catholics to start making determinations of who’s Catholic and who’s not?

[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

"So what gives Catholics the right to label who is a Protestant and who is not?"

Well they sure aren't Catholics. See, thats the problem with starting a movement whose main premise is based on making up your own rules -- every Tom Dick and Harry who cares to skip along can do so. And they can create whatever wacky offshoots they wish without violating the main premise.

"Do you all want non-Catholics to start making determinations of who’s Catholic and who’s not?"

I would like to answer that with a slightly ironic chuckle. Feel free to imagine this chuckle in your mind's ear *now*.

[Heart-Rest]

"So what gives Catholics the right to label who is a Protestant and who is not? Do you all want non-Catholics to start making determinations of who’s Catholic and who’s not?"

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

For the people I posted about, Billy Graham, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton are Baptists, Creflo Dollar is in the World Changers Church International, Joyce Meyer, T. D. Jakes, and Joel Osteen are in Non-Denominational protestant churches, Jeremiah Wright is in the United Church of Christ, and Kenneth Copeland is in the "Word of Faith" denomination.

They all believe in and use "Sola Scriptura", just like you do, even though you all might believe something completely and incompatibly different from each other.

Are you saying they are not protestants?

[Heart-Rest]

Compare:

Gamecock:   (In response to my question,"Also, seriously, how many denominations do you believe there ought to be?", replied) "... the more the merrier".

Jesus:   "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. "
John 17:20-21

You are seeking the very opposite of what Jesus prayed for.    You might want to reassess the wisdom of doing that.

[BlueDragon]

You are seeking the very opposite of what Jesus prayed for. You might want to reassess the wisdom of doing that.

Really now? You are the one who may need to reassess the wisdom of putting it all in Romanist basket.

What of all other fellowships, including the Church of the East who made it all the way to China many centuries before any Jesuit went there?

What are they? Chopped liver?

What of Thomas in India? Thomas was not of the church of Rome, nor sent by any pope of Rome that we know of.

They can still all be one, all attached to the same vine, that vine being Christ, not necessarily any particular church ecclesiastical body being "the true vine" unless one is indeed making their own church out to be God.

Let He who is the true vine and vintner both chose His own grapes, not the sour or jealous grapes be stomping upon the others, flicking at them with near to themselves twig & leaf, for all grapes whom are chosen shall be pressed. Just you wait, and see...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papias_of_Hierapolis#Fragments

Irenaeus indeed quotes the fourth book of Papias for an otherwise-unknown saying of Jesus, recounted by John the Evangelist, which Eusebius doubtless has in mind:[32][33]

The Lord used to teach about those times and say: "The days will come when vines will grow, each having ten thousand shoots, and on each shoot ten thousand branches, and on each branch ten thousand twigs, and on each twig ten thousand clusters, and in each cluster ten thousand grapes, and each grape when crushed will yield twenty-five measures of wine. And when one of the saints takes hold of a cluster, another cluster will cry out, "I am better, take me, bless the Lord through me." Similarly a grain of wheat will produce ten thousand heads, and every head will have ten thousand grains, and every grain ten pounds of fine flour, white and clean. And the other fruits, seeds, and grass will produce in similar proportions, and all the animals feeding on these fruits produced by the soil will in turn become peaceful and harmonious toward one another, and fully subject to humankind.… These things are believable to those who believe." And when Judas the traitor did not believe and asked, "How, then, will such growth be accomplished by the Lord?", the Lord said, "Those who live until those times will see."

Not exactly "the grape as spoken of in later centuries by Omar Khayyam, but they do both come to mind.

Don't be such a Sufi..? lol

[Gamecock]

I would tell you that churches like the PCA and the SBC are more like one than our FRoman Catholic friends imagine.

What binds them is their trust in Jesus as their savior, not organizational beaurocracy.

[metmom]

Amen!

[Alex Murphy]

So what gives Catholics the right to label who is a Protestant and who is not?

You'd think that we would have gotten at least three-fifths of a vote on that subject!

[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Oh boohoo. Where do you want your reparation entitlements sent?

[Heart-Rest]

"I would tell you that churches like the PCA and the SBC are more like one than our FRoman Catholic friends imagine. What binds them is their trust in Jesus as their savior, not organizational beaurocracy."

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Well, how does the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) match up with the PC(USA) (Presbyterian Church - USA)?

As I understand it, the "Presbyterian Church - USA" used to hold the same basic positions and teachings as the "Presbyterian Church in America" against active homosexual behaviors, homosexual marriage, homosexual ordination, etc., right up until the last several years, when the "Presbyterian Church - USA" began to change their beliefs and teachings, and began to accept all those perverted depravities.

While they are both still Presbyterian denominations, it is my understanding that the "Presbyterian Church in America" has not yet accepted active homosexual behaviors, homosexual marriage, or homosexual ordination, as being morally acceptable choices like the "Presbyterian Church - USA" now believes and teaches.

Would you say that the "Presbyterian Church in America" and the "Presbyterian Church - USA" are more like "one" than they might seem at present?

Both of those types of Presbyterians profess trust in Jesus as their Savior, and only God can read their hearts (and if anyone tells you that they can read another person's heart just like God can, that person is a liar), so, does that trust they profess in Jesus as their Savior bind the PCA and PCUSA together like you say it binds the PCA and the SBC together?

[Gamecock]

Nope. The PC(USA) was hijacked by liberals over 100 years ago.

Today they are Presbyterian in name only.