YMNolan Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 So how many people have heard the complaint from non-Catholics, "If the Church is all about giving to the poor then why do they have all these luxurious buildings where everything is gold and precious metal" or "why does the Pope have to live in a 'palace'", or something of that sort... blah blah blah. What's your response when you hear that kid of cynical remark? I usually point out that no organization in the world gives as much money to the poor as the Catholic church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archaeology cat Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 The Vatican also doesn't own all the things in the Vatican Museum, as far as I'm aware. They take care of it for the Italian government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sternhauser Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 The Church isn't all about helping the poor. It's about saving souls and giving glory to God, first and foremost. Helping the poor is one of many means of accomplishing those goals. ~Sternhauser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YMNolan Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 I think it comes down to people looking at everything with their 21st Century mind and not being able to get past that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeresaBenedicta Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Not to mention... the Church isn't simply about helping the material poor. Much of our art and ornate Churches are themselves a means of helping the poor-- helping the poor in spirit, and helping the material poor, to know that there is much more to life than wealth (or lack thereof). To bring a foretaste of Heaven down to earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam42 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 [quote name='Sternhauser' timestamp='1303565637' post='2231362'] The Church isn't all about helping the poor. It's about saving souls and giving glory to God, first and foremost. Helping the poor is one of many means of accomplishing those goals. ~Sternhauser [/quote] WINNING Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 so only rich people can enjoy art and nice things? poor people aren't allowed to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 The Vatican maintains one of the greatest, if not the single greatest collection of masterpieces and architectural wonders in the world. Isn't that very edifying? It's a little crass to think of all those priceless pieces and buildings and treasures in terms of their monetary value. You don't hawk off things so beautiful. You preserve them for the whole world to enjoy. That's what the Vatican does. It takes care of these wonders, and preserves them so that they can be enjoyed and appreciated by the entire world. Holding all that isn't hoarding. It's safeguarding for the benefit of all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 (edited) Replace "Vatican" with "Angelina and Brad" and pose the same question to them. Edited April 23, 2011 by USAirwaysIHS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1303577673' post='2231409'] The Vatican maintains one of the greatest, if not the single greatest collection of masterpieces and architectural wonders in the world. Isn't that very edifying? It's a little crass to think of all those priceless pieces and buildings and treasures in terms of their monetary value. You don't hawk off things so beautiful. You preserve them for the whole world to enjoy. That's what the Vatican does. It takes care of these wonders, and preserves them so that they can be enjoyed and appreciated by the entire world. Holding all that isn't hoarding. It's safeguarding for the benefit of all. [/quote] I like that a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG45 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Also last I checked, the Papal apartments were hardly a palace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Ever been inside the White House? It's pretty fancy, has lots of art and antiques. Rideau Hall here is also magnificent. The Pope is the head of a country, even if it is a small one. The Dali Lama doesn't live in a hostel either. The Pope is a steward of the residences and artwork, not the owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havok579257 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 i say if your so worried about the poor why don't you give up all your riches and possesion and give them to the poor? i say the catholic church helps more poor people than any other organization in the entire world. i say if your all about helping the poor then why do you not call on the US government to sell off the white house, all monuments and give that money to the poor. why are you not blasting the president of the US about not selling the white house. i tell them the pope does not own the catholic church. he is not the business owner of the catholic church. all catholics in the entire world own everything associated with the catholic church. all these things i say when confronted with that quote since it is one of the most IGNORENT questions people say about the catholic church. they only say it to attack the church and not as an honest question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norseman82 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Yeah, I'm sure the Vatican can liquidate all those assets easily just by doing an online trade....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1303577673' post='2231409'] The Vatican maintains one of the greatest, if not the single greatest collection of masterpieces and architectural wonders in the world. Isn't that very edifying? It's a little crass to think of all those priceless pieces and buildings and treasures in terms of their monetary value. You don't hawk off things so beautiful. You preserve them for the whole world to enjoy. That's what the Vatican does. It takes care of these wonders, and preserves them so that they can be enjoyed and appreciated by the entire world. Holding all that isn't hoarding. It's safeguarding for the benefit of all. [/quote] [quote name='Norseman82' timestamp='1303598918' post='2231538'] Yeah, I'm sure the Vatican can liquidate all those assets easily just by doing an online trade....... [/quote] Seriously. Who would you even sell them to? The Saudis? Who would vote for that? Not me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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