Vatican expects flock to pony up for pope
Passing the basket to protect pontiff’s historic Gotham visit
by patrick arden / metro new york
APR 16, 2008
BROOKLYN. Roman Catholics here are passing the collection plate to help pay for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit this weekend.
In a letter to the Diocese of Brooklyn’s 202 parishes in Brooklyn and Queens, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio has asked the faithful to chip in on the cost of arrival and departure ceremonies at Kennedy Airport.
The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., has already put a $3 million price tag on the pope’s three-day visit there, but it won’t use church funds. It has established a foundation to raise the cash.
The Archdiocese of New York has declined to make a guess at how much it will pay, but some churchgoers who heard the Brooklyn Diocese’s appeal last Sunday said that borough alone might be looking at a cool $2 million to cover additional security, such as police and fire protection, at JFK.
“I haven’t heard that number,” said Diocese of Brooklyn spokesman Frank DeRosa. An indoor facility is being created at the airport to seat 4,000 for a final two-hour religious program in multiple languages. A civil ceremony will follow, during which the pope and Vice President Dick Cheney will speak.
“There will be certain things that the Diocese will be paying for, and certain things that will be paid for by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,” DeRosa said.
The visit will inevitably cost the city something, especially since it’s not charging for the use of Yankee Stadium. Washington, D.C., expects to pay $2.2 million.
The pope’s security detail is supposed to be Secret Service. Sister Mary Ann Walsh of the U.S. Council of Bishops explained, “He’s a head of state, so it’s a State Department matter.”
“That’s bull,” said Kenneth Bronstein, president of New York City Atheists, Inc. “He’s a religious leader.”
Source: http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Vatican_expects_flock_to_pony_up_for_pope/12257.html