Were you looking for a lavish Ventnor beach house on the (relatively) cheap? Do you mind a little bad juju? No? Then great! The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s got the mansion for you!

According to ABC News, the Archdiocese is putting up an 11-bedroom mansion, used as “a retreat for priests” since the mid-1960s, as well as a Center City office building, a former seminary, the Archbishiop’s private residence and several other assets up for auction on September 15. They’re hoping this will help close a budget deficit measured somewhere around $17 million after years of legal fees, expenses, and taxes on that crazy party mansion in Ventnor.

Of course, the lengthy criminal trial and civil litigation regarding priest abuse complaints and subsequent cover-ups have only racked up their share of the archdiocese’s debt–apparently, the budget been headed in this direction for years–but it’s still the most notable. Wonder what this means for the pope? We hear he loves Atlantic City.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 14th, 2012 at 9:50 am.