RIO GRANDE — The Council of Parishes of Southern New Jersey has “demanded an immediate halt” to the restructuring plan of church and school mergers and closings in the Diocese of Camden in response to Bishop Joseph Galante’s reported real estate dealings with Raffaello Follieri.
Galante has been active in working on a restructuring plan that would close and merge churches and schools in the Camden Diocese. According to Galante, the restructuring is a response by the Catholic Church that has more parishes than there are worshipers, priests, or money to sustain them.
In March 2007, Galante sold his North Wildwood townhouse to Follieri at a price of $400,000 and also reportedly introduced him to several parish priests.
Follieri, an Italian developer, headed the Follieri Group that acquired former church properties. He was charged last month with money laundering and wire fraud. He was accused of exaggerating his ties to the Vatican to fool investors that his inside connections would enable him to purchase properties at discount prices.
Follieri reportedly used the ill-gotten gains from the schemes to provide a jet-setting lifestyle and lavish gifts on then-girlfriend Anne Hathaway.
According to Andrew Walton, spokesperson for the diocese, Galante was not aware he was dealing with a con man until approximately two months after he finalized the sale of the four-bedroom townhouse on North Wildwood’s Oak Avenue.
Walton added that Galante had initially met with Follieri at the encouragement of the Vatican.
According to a press release from the Council of Parishes, “the purchase of Bishop Galante’s beach house was completely outside the scope of investments of the Follieri Group and would appear to have done as a favor to the Bishop.”
The council maintains that many Catholics in the Diocese of Camden have been “skeptical of the motivations” behind the bishop’s plan to merge 96 parishes in this diocese into 38.
The mergers, the council said, “have raised questions based on the appearance that churches situated on valuable real estate were particularly targeted for closure, even where such churches were flourishing both spiritually and financially.”
The council questions what they call the bishop’s “true motivation” for the restructuring plan.
“We have lost confidence in the leadership of Bishop Galante and stand firmly in opposition to his destructive plan for our churches, school, and our diocese, generally,” states the council in the press release.
Contact Suit at: (609) 886-8600 ext. 25 or lsuit@cmcherald.com
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