SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – The Catholic Diocese of San Jose has purchased a five-bedroom, $2.3 million home in Silicon Valley for its retiring bishop.
The cost is raising some concerns among the diocese’s 640,000 Catholics, given the church’s mission of charity and serving the poor.
The 73-year-old Bishop Patrick J. McGrath acknowledged in an interview with the Mercury News of San Jose the price tag is “a lot of money,” saying he could understand it might not sit well with some parishioners.
The listing for the nearly 3,300-square-foot (306 square-meter) home boasts of a “grand-sized chef’s kitchen” and a “spa-like marble bathroom.”
Diocese spokeswoman Liz Sullivan says it was purchased with funds set aside for a bishop’s housing and upkeep after retirement.
McGrath previously spoke about the lack of affordable housing in Northern California.