Boston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is selling the archbishop’s mansion and mortgaging Holy Cross cathedral to help raise $85 million to settle lawsuits brought by Catholics sexually abused by priests. Experts said the hilltop residence and 27 surrounding acres could sell for as much as $100 million. Archbishop Sean O’Malley, who was installed in July, never moved into the mansion, saying he preferred the simpler accommodations of the cathedral’s rectory. O’Malley’s predecessor, Cardinal Bernard Law, was forced to resign after documents showed he’d repeatedly reassigned abusive priests to new parishes. Andrew Post, president of the activist lay group Voice of the Faithful, said it was a positive sign that O’Malley was willing to sell the palatial home. “My sense is that the average person is going to applaud this,” Post said.
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