US Archbishop gives up £1.3 million mansion

Archbishop Wilton Gregory

The Archbishop of Atlanta, Georgia, Most Rev Wilton Gregory has decided to give up his new £1.3 million mansion just three months after he moved in, after protests from parishioners.

After a private meeting with church leaders, the Archbishop told the press that he had decided to downsize and use money saved from the sale of the house for the needs of the Catholic community."

A generous gift to the diocese from a wealthy donor in Atlanta made the luxurious residence possible last year. Joseph Mitchell, the nephew of the author of 'Gone With The Wind' left an estate worth more than $15 million to the church when he died in 2011. Mitchell asked in his will that the proceeds be used for "general religious and charitable purposes." He also requested that his parish, Christ The King Cathedral, get primary consideration.

Archbishop Gregory's old residence was sold for $1.9 million to Christ the King Cathedral for use as a home for diocesan priests. After the sale, Gregory needed a new home. He demolished Mitchell's old home and replaced it with a large mansion. It has an upper-level safe room, an eight-burner kitchen stove, an elevator, public and private offices and two dining rooms.

Archbishop Gregory thanked parishioners for raising the issue, and acknowledged earlier this week the importance of Pope Francis' example of living more modestly.

"He's called us to live more simply... He also has encouraged bishops to grow closer to their people, to listen to their people. And that, I take as a pretty serious admonition. I'm disappointed in myself ... because in my nine years, I do believe that I've grown very close to the people of the archdiocese. And I think this decision is an aberration rather than a pattern."

Laura Mullins, one of the Catholics who asked Gregory to sell, praised him for making a quick decision and ending the controversy. "He is the person we follow locally," she said. " He sets the example for all of us to follow. If he is choosing to use a gift so personally, what does that tell the people sitting in the pews?"