This blog is called Standing on My Head, so while everybody is pouting and posturing about the houses of Archbishops and Bishops I’m going to strike a topsy turvy perspective, yea a discordant note.
I think the Pope should live in the Apostolic Palace and I think Archbishop Wilton should live in his brand new $2.2m home. I think Bishops should live in these grand homes–but they should do so like one of those impoverished English aristocrats who can’t afford to heat their vast Downton Abbey, and so live in one room in the attic wearing three sweaters and eating cat food casseroles that they cook in a microwave.
They should live there in community with other priests or brothers if they are religious. They should open up the West Wing as a hostel for recovering addicts and open up the East Wing as a women’s shelter and bring in some Mother Teresa nuns to run the place.
This would be a far more significant sign of contradiction than simply moving out to a mean little room somewhere because it would say something more profound about worldly wealth and property.
See, what troubles me about the Franciscan embrace of Lady Poverty is that it is too easily misunderstood. People then come to think that there is something good about poverty and that it is somehow good to be poor. It’s not good to be poor. It’s bad to be poor. Neither is a poor person good just because he’s poor.
Neither is it bad to own property or wealth. It’s good to have nice things. It’s good to enjoy life. It’s good to enjoy God’s blessings.
That’s why I’m Benedictine in temperament and commitment, and not Franciscan. The Benedictine monk does not take a vow of poverty and the Benedictine monasteries may have great property and wealth. However, the Rule of St Benedict does insist that the monk has no personal possessions. There’s a good balance. The monastery may own property and goods, but the individual monk does not.
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