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Catholic Leader Says CNN Not Practicing What It Preaches

Chuck Ross Investigative Reporter
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CNN’s criticism of the “lavish” lifestyles of American archbishops is hypocritical given the vast income gap between the network’s executives and its staffers, the leader of a prominent Catholic group says.

Bill Donohue, who is president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, responded to a recent CNN article titled “The lavish homes of American archbishops” in which the network reported that 10 of the 34 American archbishops live in buildings worth at least $1 million.

That opulence is at odds with the Catholic Church’s teachings as well as Pope Francis’ calls for more austerity, according to the CNN piece.

“How I would like a Church which is poor and for the poor!” Pope Francis said last year shortly after his election.

According to CNN’s analysis of U.S. archbishops’ living conditions, New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan “leads the pack with this 15,000-square-foot mansion on Madison Avenue, in one of the priciest corridors of Manhattan.”

The abode “is reportedly filled with thick red carpets and priceless antiques, with three other priests.”

But Donohue defended Dolan and the other archbishops while calling out CNN for failing to practice itself what it preaches.

“He is living in a house that is attached to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, was built more than a hundred years ago, and cannot be sold separately because of its landmark status,” wrote Donohue of Dolan’s allegedly too-luxurious domicile.

The house “also houses offices, living quarters for other priests, guest rooms, a dining area, etc.,” continued Donohue.

What’s rich, according to Donohue, is CNN’s double-standard.

“CNN never stops talking about “income inequality,”” he stated, calling for the executives of Time Warner, CNN’s parent company, “to turn their camera on themselves.”

“Jeff Bewkes, who is CEO of CNN’s parent company, Time Warner, “pulled down $32.5 million last year and has a net worth of over $100 million,” according to Donohue.

“Bet his carpets are real ‘thick,'” he said, referring back to the network’s characterization of Dolan’s rugs.

“Others include John Martin, Paul Cappuccio, Gary Ginsberg and Olaf Olafsson; their 2013 salaries, were, respectively, $12.9 million, $7.8 million, $4.1 million, and $4.1 million.”

“Here are the current average salaries, respectively, for programmer analysts, media coordinators, and associate producers: $44,812, $50,956, and $44,120. The average media intern gets paid a whopping $8.12 an hour.”

The Daily Caller contacted CNN seeking comment and confirmation of those statistics, but the network did not reply.

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