Winchester was the first capital of England, from 827 to 1066. Winchester Cathedral, completed in 1070, has the longest nave of any medieval cathedral in Europe.
Day: July 7, 2016
Charlton Open Space Suggestion Brilliant
Charlton Open Space Suggestion Brilliant — Alex Charlton is asking the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to donate the Don Guanella property in Marple Township as public open space.
It is about time someone brought this up and the Archdiocese should act on his suggestion.
Charlton, of Springfield, is the Republican candidate in the race to replace Bill Adolph in the 165th District of the Pennsylvania House. Adolph, who has held the seat since 1988, is not seeking re-election.
A plan to develop the 213-acre tract bordered by Route 320, Reed Road and the Blue Route into “Cardinal Crossing” fell through. Cardinal Crossing would have been packed with homes and shopping centers. It would have ruined the quality of life for thousands of people in Marple and Springfield townships which make up the bulk of the 165th district. It would have snarled traffic and extended commute times for people in two counties.
Charlton, in his open letter to Archbishop Charles Chaput, notes that Pope Francis has baldly declared that we have an essential duty to protect the environment and that “it is not an optional or secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
He didn’t note, although he could have, Francis’ condemnations of greed and corrupt corporate culture. Development that objectively makes life worse rather than better would certainly fall under these rubrics.
By the way, greed applies to corrupt public culture too. There are those who want to raise taxes to buy open space without considering how the existing tax burden is already crushing the poor and needy. It is the already rich with more than enough income to dispose who are suggesting this, naturally.
If the Archdiocese donates the land it would a remarkable Christian witness, a profound act of faith and, if honestly sacrificial, would significantly help its reputation.
Kudos to Charlton for thinking outside the box and making the suggestion.
Here is his letter:
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput Archdiocese of Philadelphia 222 North 17th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103
Dear Archbishop Chaput,
An Open Letter to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
July 2, 2016
I write with concern for the future of the Archdiocese’s Don Guanella property, located along Route 320 in Marple Township, Delaware County. The Archdiocese recently terminated an agreement for sale of the property to a commercial developer. Its future, and its impact on the quality of life of the residents of our area, now rests entirely in your hands.
The Marple Township Planning Board and its commissioners were right to deny the Cardinal Crossing plans. The Archdiocese should have been paying attention.
This property is among the last large, open areas of natural beauty in eastern Delaware County. It’s imperative to preserve the land for future generations and prevent the environmental damage and massive traffic delays that would result from largescale commercial development. I am calling on the Archdiocese to donate this entire parcel of property to the Natural Lands Trust so that it can be preserved permanently.
Taxpayers have long borne the hidden cost of the Don Guanella property by virtue of its taxexempt status. The tax exemption has cost millions of dollars in lost revenue for the township and the county. Alreadyoverburdened taxpayers should not have to take on more debt to obtain and preserve property they’ve been subsidizing for years
As you know, the protection and preservation of our natural world is a tenant of our faith. Our Holy Father Pope Francis, in his recent environmental encyclical “Laudato Si”, speaks of the duty to protect our environment. His writings indicate the Church has a duty to conserve the natural beauty of the land it owns. Pope Francis writes:
“…the ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion. It must be said that some committed and prayerful Christians, with the excuse of realism and pragmatism, tend to ridicule expressions of concern for the environment. Others are passive; they choose not to change their habits and thus become inconsistent. So what they all need is an ‘ecological conversion’, whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them. Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience. ”
I respectfully request that as the leader of the Philadelphia Archdiocese that you consider the words of our Holy Father and be a protector of God’s handiwork by donating this land for preservation in perpetuity.
CharltonForPA.com
Paid for by Friends of Alex Charlton
I am well aware your obligation to be a good financial steward of the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese has indicated that this property needed to be sold in order to assist parishes because of the financial crisis that has arisen from the sex abuse scandal. A recent victory in the State Legislature will save the Archdiocese tens of millions of dollars in compensation to victims. The need to generate additional revenue by the sale of this property in contravention of Pope Francis’ teachings is offset by these savings.
I close with the following prayer from Pope Francis in “A Christian Prayer in Union with Creation”: “Enlighten those who possess power and money that they may avoid the sun of indifference, that they may love the common good, advance the weak, and care for this world in which we live. The poor and the earth are crying out.”
CC: Delaware County Parishes
Governor Tom Wolf
Senator Robert Casey
Senator Pat Toomey
Congressman Patrick Meehan Pennsylvania Senator Tom McGarrigle Representative Bill Adolph
Delaware County Council
Marple Township Board of Commissioners Radnor Township Board of Commissioners Springfield Township Board of Commissioners Save Marple Greenspace
Charlton Open Space Suggestion Brilliant