I'm also willing to bet that his lifestyle extends well beyond a $2.2M home.

I'm sure it also includes the luxuries that are necessary to fill a $2.2M home. Including the garage.

However, next week the collection plates will still runneth over...

In New Jersey, Newark Archbishop John Myers hasn’t opted for penitence, and instead is defending the expenditure of some $500,000 to add a three-story, 3,000-square-foot addition to his already spacious retirement home. The new wing will include an indoor exercise pool, a hot tub, three fireplaces, a library and an elevator.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/from-beacon-hill-to-bishop-bling-clergy-housing-faces-new-scrutiny/2014/04/01/8210a6f2-b9df-11e3-80de-2ff8801f27af_story.html

for the bulk of his tenure. He's always lived like this.

but diocesan priests have never taken a vow of poverty- Vows of poverty are often made by men and women in religious orders- i.e. Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites, etc.. Jesuits like Pope Francis take 3 vows of poverty, chastity and obedience- poverty is generally understood as lack of personal ownership- the order owns all property.

Secular or diocesan priests make no vows but rather promise obedience to the bishop and his successors and celibacy which is to not marry. I know that people commonly understand celibacy as refraining from sex but that is not what the word means.

Called out for my ignorance.

This story reminded me of a news article 20 years ago, in which a Catholic-owned children's camp in the Texas Hill Country was slated to be shut down due to funding problems. It wasn't difficult then, either, to find a bishop living within a hundred miles in the lap of luxury.

I can't help but wonder if there are Catholic churches in Georgia having trouble paying their utilities while this dude proposes a $2+ million home for himself in a wealthy neighborhood. Perhaps they should consider selling the land and building to suit their needs in a more mainstream neighborhood, or on the perimeter of commercial property.