Fourteen Catholic Churches to Close
But officials rejoice in "greater diversity" within church
By CARLOS MILLER
Updated 10:42 PM EST, Sun, May 31, 2009
On the day that religion’s hottest free agent made his smashing debut with the Episcopal Church, the Archdiocese of Miami announced it would shut 14 struggling churches that have been unable to financially support themselves.
Archbishop John Favalora blamed the demise on shifting demographics rather than on outdated policies, not to mention the deviant scandals that have plagued the church in recent years.
The Archbishop believes that Miami’s Catholics are moving in droves to the western suburbs, which is why there has been such a decline in churches along the eastern corridor of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, where the 14 churches are based.
However, there has been no mention of new churches being built in the western suburbs to accommodate the growing number of transplanted Catholics.
One of the advantages of shutting down these churches, according to the Archdiocese website, is that it would promote "greater diversity" within the Church by merging various cultural and ethnic groups together.
Meanwhile, celebrity priest Alberto Cutie made his debut Sunday as an Episcopalian, a denomination that prides itself on its diversity and on the fact that it allows homosexuals and women to become ordained priests, and even goes as far as allowing male priests to marry women.
First Published: May 31, 2009 2:44 PM EST
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