Business & Tech
Is Coronado Too Pricey for Catholic Bishops?
Critics raise the question in a local report because of Pope Francis' call for austerity and simpler living. Loews is hosting a bishops conference.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is holding a meeting at Loews Coronado Bay Resort and some critics are wondering, according to CBS8.com, why the money is being spent on a fashionable resort.
They wonder if the decision to book at the resort contradicts that of recently elected Pope Francis, who has advocated a simpler lifestyle and even called for “a poor church for the poor,” as quoted in the Daily Telegraph.
The U.S. conference web site also calls for individual believers to act as “a pilgrim of charity” on June 29-30. According to California Catholic Daily, the meeting is of the Special Assembly of bishops.
"The guys can have a good time, but there are many large churches in the country that can provide space for things like that. I don't see the need to stay at one of the most expensive resorts in Southern California," one critic, Mary Creson, told the station.
Church representatives defended the decision to stay at Loews, saying the size of their conference, more than 500 people, requires a very large space and that they were able to negotiate better rates as a result.
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