Archbishop Wilton Gregory will vacate his $2.2-million
Buckhead mansion in early May and move into another available
archdiocese property.
The decision followed a Saturday morning meeting at the
Archdiocese of Atlanta with three advisory councils.
“After consultation with the members and hundreds
of well-meaning parishioners of differing points of view, as
well as my own personal reflection and prayer, I have decided
to sell the Habersham property and invest the proceeds from
that sale into the needs of the Catholic community,”
Gregory said in a statement.
Some parishioners have criticized the Catholic
leader for living too opulent a lifestyle that’s
out-of-step with the example set by Pope Francis. Gregory said
earlier this week he erred in moving to a 6,196-square-foot
house in the toniest section of Atlanta.
Gregory arrived at the meeting at the Archdiocese of
Atlanta in his Lexus, according to news reports. About 60
people — including religious clergy and laypeople —
attended the meeting, which started with a prayer led by
Gregory, according to Patricia Chivers, spokeswoman for the
archdiocese.
The campus was closed to media and a security guard was
stationed at the entrance to verify all visitors.
The two-story brick home on Habersham Road has been the
topic of criticism and national news coverage. Gregory had
previously said he would confer with the advisory councils
before making any final decision on whether to put the house up
for sale.
Parishioner Barbara Pennington, who has been a member of
Christ the King for three years, said she believes Gregory
should have kept the home.
“Everyone is being so negative,” she said.
“I don’t think they should be bullied into changing
their minds. These people have given their lives for their
parishioners.”
The money for the house came from $15 million left by
Joseph Mitchell, a longtime Christ the King parishioner who
died in 2011. Mitchell, nephew of “Gone With the
Wind” author Margaret Mitchell, asked that the money be
used for the parish and for archdiocese charitable works.
“I want to thank those parishioners whose prayers,
counsel and concern brought this issue to light and ensured
that their Archbishop was properly attuned to the important
symbolism of simple actions and the challenges faced by many of
the faithful in the Archdiocese of Atlanta,” Gregory
said.