For three straight days this week, The Morning Call newspaper has published articles claiming that the Diocese of Allentown has $323 million in property in the Lehigh Valley.
That is wrong.
For three straight days, the implication of these website articles has been that the Diocese could have sold this property to raise cash, but has chosen not to.
That also is wrong.
In one article, there is a list of “Highest-value Allentown Diocese parcels.” Most of them are thriving parishes like St. Thomas More, St. Joseph the Worker and St. Catharine of Siena. Others are thriving high schools like Allentown Central Catholic, Bethlehem Catholic and Notre Dame. The implication? These are properties owned by the Diocese, and they could be sold.
Wrong again.
Here are the facts:
The parishes, schools and other ministries in our Diocese serve hundreds of thousands of people – Catholic and non-Catholic – in five counties. They are not owned by the Diocese, but rather, by the individual parishes and other entities.
The Morning Call apparently was unmoved by the Diocese’s explanation of this concept before the articles were published.
For anyone to suggest that thriving schools and parishes should be sold out from under the people they serve is ludicrous.
Besides, as the Morning Call itself reported, if any parish property were to be sold for any reason, Church law requires that money to stay with the parish. It would never go to the Diocese.
The Diocese of Allentown is doing the best that it can to compensate victims of clergy sexual abuse as one aspect of their healing. We have raised millions of dollars to do this by using cash we had in the bank, by borrowing money, and by selling unused property to pay off the loan. Those sales will continue.
The Diocese of Allentown is determined to do the right thing for victims of past clergy abuse, while at the same time continuing our pastoral and charitable activities in communities throughout our five counties. We will persevere in our mission: “A Roman Catholic family of faith, centered in the Holy Eucharist, faithful to the Church’s teachings, bringing the Light of Christ to each other and our community.”
