Seven Hills Mayor David Bentkowski speaks up on the Cleveland Diocese’s church closings:
If every Catholic gave $100, it would raise $75 million dollars. Many would give more when faced with the prospect of honoring God and his house during this time of need.
It’s vague, but it’s more than the Diocese has offered. Read the rest of his call to alms here. — Frank Lewis
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2009.
Thank you Mr. Gill for your in-dept explanation regarding the reasons for the 52 churches’ closings, mergers, and future demolitions. However, I have a problem with the bishop’s real motives in choosing certain churches above others. Mr. Darrell Holland in the Plain Dealer exposed some of those questionable choices with the following points: 1. Majority of the churches are inner-city, which shows favoritism towards the wealthier suburban churches. For instance, St. Angela and St. Christopher are two of the largest and richest churches in the diocese, so why didn’t the bishop choose to share their resources and wealth with the those churches that work to help the needy in the inner-city? That’s not what I call sharing the wealth – it’s plundering! Most of these churches that the bishop is closing are ethnic, which confirms the underlying malevolence that Robert Tayek’s bigoted and discriminating opinions have disclosed in the past. If the bishop really was sincere about listening to the cluster committees, then why is it that he decided against many choices the committees did present to him. He meanwhile admonished the churches that decided not to cause animosity amongst themselves and leave it up to him? It obviously didn’t matter anyway, such as in the case of the three Hungarian churches. By the way, among the bishop’s criteria, the churches were a liability financially to the diocese. If that is true, then why is it that he chose St. Emeric of Hungary to close when that church has always been and still is totally self-sufficient monetarily and even their priest is provided by the European bishop? There is an underlying malevolence that has emerged as the real agenda by the bishop and his cronies in this diocese.
Thank you Mayor Bentkowski! It is a very reasonable solution and very doable. I have a feeling though, that Bishop Lennon is more malevolent in his real motives for closing churches and we are fighting the devil. The only way to deal with him and this diocese is to secede.