Bishop's spending questioned

BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- The diocesan finance and presbyteral councils here have confronted Belleville Bishop Edward Braxton about questionable spending, local media are reporting. The finance council has asked the Vatican to investigate the situation, according to a report posted to the Web site of the Belleville News-Democrat Jan. 13.

Braxton has been accused of spending $8,000 on new vestments and paying for them with money earmarked for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, a Vatican institution that supports work in mission territories. Local churches collect money for the society.

Braxton also purchased a $10,000 wood conference table and chairs for a meeting room at the chancery using money from A Future Full of Hope, a foundation established by his predecessor to fund special ministry programs for children and adults. Citing minutes from a November teleconference of the foundation board, the News-Democrat reported that members "expressed in writing their objections to this expenditure by Bishop Braxton."

COPYRIGHT 2008 National Catholic Reporter
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning