Church leaders in Belgium have become increasingly concerned about the abuse scandal’s financial ramifications, according to news reports. "Already confronted with empty churches, fewer …
I am not happy with the way the New York Times article was written. For example, it opens by mentioning a noon mass at a cathedral with only 32 worshipers, but it doesn’t mention what day of the week it occurred on. If it took place on a weekday, perhaps the number isn’t surprising.
However, the NYT article does have a few surprises. First, that religions are heavily subsidized by the Belgium government, with 87% (or $417 million a year) going to the Catholic Church. The second is that roughly two-thirds of Belgian Catholics are 55 years old or older.
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