| Don't you think it's a disgrace that the Vatican has about £50 billion stashed away in banks? in banks all over the world while there are people homeless and dying from starvation? All that money, collecting a vast amount of interest as well, and yet many people are living in squalor. In really poor countries beggars sit out on the pavements and you can go into a nearby Cathedral and find gold ornamentation all over it. I think originally religion was supposed to be a spiritual thing and not about vast amounts of money. Religion & Spirituality - 21 Answers Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions : 1 : Source, please. EDIT: The Vatican has been running a deficit for years. Revenues: $355.5 million [USD] Expenditures: $356.8 million [USD] (2008) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vt.html -------------- Vatican's budget in red for third year July 11, 2010 AFP The effects of the global financial crisis have put the Vatican's budget in the red for the third consecutive year. The Vatican says it ended 2009 with a loss of 4.1 million euros ($A5.93 million), compared to its loss of 911,514 euros ($A1.32 million) in 2008. In 2007 it had lost 9 million euros ($A13.03 million). Over the course of the year, the Vatican spent 254.2 million euros ($A367.9 million) and had income of 250.1 million euros ($A361.97 million). In 2009, the Vatican absorbed "the negative fluctuations that had been suspended in 2008", the statement said. Vatican Radio said the Holy See would have posted a profit had it not been for the absorption of 2008 losses. Donations from churches around the world to the Holy See, also known as Peter's Pence, grew to $US82.5 million ($A94.11 million), compared to $US75.8 million ($A86.47 million) in 2008. The largest donations came from the United States, Italy and France, the statement said. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/vaticans-budget-in-red-for-third-year-20100711-1052m.html 2 : Yep, and it's been like that for a while. It's part of the reason Martin Luther left Catholicism. 3 : yes 4 : did you think they were in it for world peace or spreading hope? pshyeah...no 5 : And what of the untold trillions that Jewish bankers have? 6 : If the Vatican had ANY integrity whatsoever they'd use some of that cash to compensate the victims of sexual assault at the hands of the clergy and track, hunt down, and persecute the pedophiles responsible. Too bad the Vatican has no integrity. 7 : Yes, I find it disgusting and greedy. 8 : Did you know that the Catholic Church is the most charitable organization on earth? We feed, clothe, provide housing, education healthcare,medicine to millions of people around the world 365/7/24. All of this takes money. And all money and goods are donated to the church Catholic Christian †9 : First: You need a source. Second: Well what did you think the point of the vatican was? 10 : I love how Catholic bashers keep bringing that up without knowing the true facts. 11 : You have no evidence for this bigotted hateful charge. You even contradict the CIA World Fact Book. This is a report from the U.S. government. Specifically, the CIA fact book, which can be found at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications… Scroll down to the section on their economy. it proves that Vatican wealth is a myth. Question: Mainly the question is, the Vatican has so many treasures it has collected throughout the years. With all these treasures it has, why not sell them and help the poor ten times over, instead of hording them? Answer: The Holy See annually runs a deficit in its operations (including its charitable works), for which it must depend on contributions (most of which now come from American bishops and their people). "Vatican riches" are a myth. I presume the treasures your friend wants the Vatican to sell are the widely acclaimed art treasures. Now suppose we sell them. Could they bring in 30 billion dollars? Well, suppose they did bring in so much. There are now close to 5 billion people in the world, and I guess 3billion of these are rated really poor. So the Vatican is able to give each of these ten dollars apiece. Now you can bet that all this money will find its way from the hands of the poor to the pockets of the rich in less than a year. So how are we ahead? Every church has administration costs, and these treasures bring in much need tourist dollars, much of which also goes to the poor. This past year the Vatican has run a 3 million dollar deficit, and has been publicly documented. Now back to the art treasures. They have been sold--to whom? To private collectors and to museums. The world will never see nor derive any benefit from the treasures in private hands. And the public who might visit the rest of the treasures in museums can visit them now in the Vatican museums. They are not being hoarded. They are being preserved and displayed and widely enjoyed. I'd say, leave them there. If your friend is yearning to enjoy even greater treasures in the keeping of the Catholic Church, he might start with the Bible. He would not have Scripture if the Church had not first written it, validated it, and handed it down to him through the centuries. Anyone who seeks to can enjoy the treasure of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Anyone can enjoy membership and fellowship in the Church which Christ founded and the Holy Spirit has kept going for 20 centuries (in part) by Fr. Mike Mateo The Vatican went through 23 money-losing years until 1993. The situation turned around after bishops from around the world agreed to provide direct assistance. Anyone can search the web and find over 10,000 webs reporting this. Vatican wealth is a myth. I believe that those who decry the "wealth" of the Vatican do so not out of altruistic reasons but due to a hope that the Church have no clout or influence in the world's affairs. This has nothing to do with "riches" but more to do with "power". Most people do not wish that the Church have a voice in matters political, humanitarian, ethical, etc., they would like to see her shut-up and ineffectual. God wishes otherwise and so do the true aspirations of the inner workings of humanity. "the gates of hell shall not prevail against thee." The ignorance of these simplistic self-righteous statements need not bother us - God is in control here - no worry. Fools be gone! If the Church had all the riches of the world (and she does on a much deeper level) no one should worry - we all should be happy if such a miraculous thing happened - for we'd be assured that all those riches would be distributed rightfully and justly, unlike the world. We'd be assured that the great works of art would be open for all and available to all. and Would they feel "better" if Egypt would sell the pyramids, France the Eiffel Tower, China the Wall, etc., etc., to feed their hungry? These people are real jokers, and they really do not know what the "treasures" of the Vatican are ... Maybe if they sell the Sistine Chapel, piece by piece of stone and mortar to another country, they will have more cash to increase their catholic contributions around the world ... Have you ever seen or heard of all the money that goes out of the Vatican to dozens of countries around the world each year to help???? The help goes not only to Catholics, but to all ... "The Vatican Treasures" issue is a really old one ... always used by those that want to put down Catholicism at its roots ... The folks that criticize Catholics and the Vatican would feel much better if the Pope would live in a shack, in rags, and extreme poverty. (observers say he actually lives an austere life of much penance, prayer, and fasting.)Well I have news for them ... The president of Argentina lives in the Pink House, the president of the USA lives in the White House, the Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace (?), and the Pope lives in the Vatican. 12 : Just another absurdity of organized religion. People, start your OWN religion already! Ooh, five thumbs-down. Glad to know I pissed off a lot of insecure, small-minded people. Whoo, hoo! 13 : That's just a small part of their wealth, look into their world real-estate holdings. They are the world's largest "slum lord". Real moral bunch of bigots, pervs and hypocrites. RScott 14 : Sorry I don't buy it that Catholics are responsible for world poverty. And I say this as a non Catholic. The country you are so patriotic to loans the money to these poor countries for inflated interest rates. True patriots are Catholic too which makes them as bad as you but not worse than you. 15 : Yes it is a disgrace. Yet they want to be better than any other religion. The Roman Catholics have a very sordid past and one day will have to answer to how they have pushed their power and not lived exactly by God's Word. 16 : Quote: In really poor countries beggars sit out on the pavements If that shouldn't be permitted, then neither should the rich be able to amass their billions. In today's economy, a million is no longer that that much. But to have hundreds of millions for one person, or one nuclear family is obscene. This world needs to be destroyed, and it will be. God's judgment has already begun working around the world and it will culminate in the Great Tribulation and into Armageddon. There people's money and gold will save nobody. Soon, all religion will be devastated by the confiscation of all their treasure. 17 : Some one may please tell them that Jesus Christ - was against amassing of wealth Remind them Jesus stood against it at only one occasion when it was amassed by the Rabies & Monks of Jews - God has prohibited interest Remind them it's written in Bible - Tell the Pope if he isn't willing to give it up then circulate this money by developing Charitable institutions... the tradition of Charity & Alms giving is explicitly mentioned in The Bible too. 18 : It really is a disgrace. 19 : Please try to ask a question with some sense of maturity, intelligence and background research, none of which are evident above. I know one day, long ago, I was as naive and just plain ignorant of the facts as you evidence here. Maybe I'm just trying to rush your maturity too fast, but, do please make some effort in that direction before you "ask" another "question". God Bless you. 20 : You have nothing but slander here bud! There are no millions, and the Vatican always runs in the red. Even Jesus said that we would always have the poor here with us. Thanks for your opinion on the original meaning of religion. Pax Christi 21 : That last fiscal reports that I saw for the Vatican had them running a deficit. This past year was the first year that our local parish wasn't in the red that i can remember. You can find their accounting statements and reports online, and if you want to know how much your local parish is taking in, go to the church and get a bulletin...around here that information is published in there. Also, there is the common knowledge that priests, popes, and bishops all tend to die as priests, popes, and bishops. I haven't seen a single one of them retire to the Caymon Islands. Oh, and the Catholic Church is one of the biggest welfare providers in the world, and they do help people. They helped me once when I was in need, and I didn't see any other churches come forward to offer a helping hand. I say we should give even more money to them. At least when it goes to them they actually do something meaningful with it. |
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