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clmowry
Guest
This is always a great idea for “that other guy.”Well I think he should sell all that property and such…and give it all to the poor…what do you all think?
Chuck
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Chuck
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Teflon93
Guest
Absolutely.Well I think he should sell all that property and such…and give it all to the poor…what do you all think?
I suppose if only the Pope would sell off the Vatican, all of his critics would head to RCIA the next day.
For anyone who doesn’t “get” the Catholic view on this issue, I highly recommend “The Stripping of the Altars”, which covers in depths what taking the Judas view of appropriate expenditure in the name of the poor cost our British cousins in the 16th century.
N
NonDenom
Guest
C
clmowry
Guest
Where is this golden chair? Who built it and when? I want to see it.
I saw plenty of gold in the frescos of the Churches in Rome but I missed the gold chair.
Chuck
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Teflon93
Guest
It would be quite heavy, wouldn’t it? Somebody must have to polish the heck out of it too.
T
Teflon93
Guest
The nondenominational megachurch should draw your critical attention, is the point, NonDenom.
When a modern-day Michelangelo paints something the equal of the Sistine Chapel in Orange County, perhaps there’ll be cause to reconsider the relative merits of Saddleback Church’s claims in this regard.
M
melensdad
Guest
Who said that the church spent any money on a “golden” chair? Perhaps the chair was a donation? Or perhaps it was the culmination of a series of small donations for that purpose?
I find it** inspirational** that some of our most beautiful churches and cathedrals were built during economic downturns from donations of money, labor, love and faith. Many of the treasures of the church are gifts it received from the hard work of its members. Many are happy to make the sacrifices they made to help the church and would probably consider it an insult if the church decided to sell off these gifts.
Go into a poor nation like the Dominican Republic and look at the Cathedral there. It is beautiful in a modernistic way and the people are proud of its manicured lawns and tall spires. But not one block away is relative poverty. Yet ask a Dominican about that disparity and many will tell you that the Cathedral is “theirs” and they are proud of its beauty and consider it an inspiration. Below is a photo of their pride and joy that I took when I visited.
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Teflon93
Guest
Excellent point.
My wife and I donated a framed photograph of a beautiful stained glass window of St Patrick on behalf of our RCIA class to our parish to hang in their Family Life Center. It’s pretty odd to think of that as part of the Church’s greed.
We also gave our priest a box of Rocky Patel cigars. How greedy of him to accept our gift!
B
bankerdavid
Guest
I used to think the same way (that the Roman Catholic Church was filthy rich because of all the beautiful Cathedrals, etc.) when I was a Protestant born and raised. The truth is that most of what the Church owns is priceless. That means that there could be no assigned value to it. As Teflon says, donations and the work of human hands make the edifices that are only there for the glory of God. Even if the pope sits on a golden chair, it’s not his chair, it belongs to all 1 billion of us, rich and poor, saint and sinner (oops-same thing!) alike. His apartment is small by American standards, not even 2000 sq. ft., if memory serves, and there is not one air-conditioned building in the Vatican, or in all the churches in Rome.
Heck, everything in our parish is donated or funded by someone.
My wife and I donated the landscape-we dug up 13 25year old oleander bushes by ourselves, planted new plants, spread new mulch, donated and installed a fountain and a statue of Our Lady. Took us over a year, with very little help, and almost no machinery. Why? Because we wanted our parish to look like it belonged to Him. Helpwise we had one other volunteer that helped with the last two stumps and helps regularly with the weeding, and a parishoner who’s a landscaper donated the mulch and two men’s wages for 6 hours.
Heck, everything in our parish is donated or funded by someone.
My wife and I donated the landscape-we dug up 13 25year old oleander bushes by ourselves, planted new plants, spread new mulch, donated and installed a fountain and a statue of Our Lady. Took us over a year, with very little help, and almost no machinery. Why? Because we wanted our parish to look like it belonged to Him. Helpwise we had one other volunteer that helped with the last two stumps and helps regularly with the weeding, and a parishoner who’s a landscaper donated the mulch and two men’s wages for 6 hours.
N
NonDenom
Guest
It is, thats why they have to pull it with the pope mobile. I think they use dental floss for those hard to reach cracks and crevices.
C
Church_Militant
Guest
Yeah… and all these years that the Vatican has operated in the red while giving away money…
Lessee, the pope & the Catholic Church has too much money huh? Really?
Caritas President Visits Peru [2007-09-02]
Caritas Aids a Struggling Peru [2007-08-30]
Cardinal Bertone Promotes Rosary in Peru [2007-08-30]
Cardinal Bertone Visits Quake-Hit Peru [2007-08-24]
Benedict XVI Reiterates Aid Plea for Peru [2007-08-22]
Caritas Appeals for $11 Million for Quake Victims [2007-08-21]
Rome Prays for Peru’s Quake Victims [2007-08-21]
Catholic Organizations Supporting Peru [2007-08-20]
Aid Groups Helping People and Local Church
Pontiff Sends $200,000 to Peru [2007-08-20]
Cardinal Bertone to Bring Papal Aid to Peru [2007-08-19]
Catholic Aid Reaches Cyclone-Hit Pakistan [2007-07-06]
Long-term Rebuilding Planned in Indonesia [2006-06-20]
Caritas Active in Wake of May 27 Quake
Caritas Aiding Victims of March Quake in Iran [2006-06-08]
Caritas Aiding Quake Victims in Rural Java [2006-05-31]
Plans Reconstruction in Indonesia
More…
Lessee, the pope & the Catholic Church has too much money huh? Really?
Caritas President Visits Peru [2007-09-02]
Caritas Aids a Struggling Peru [2007-08-30]
Cardinal Bertone Promotes Rosary in Peru [2007-08-30]
Cardinal Bertone Visits Quake-Hit Peru [2007-08-24]
Benedict XVI Reiterates Aid Plea for Peru [2007-08-22]
Caritas Appeals for $11 Million for Quake Victims [2007-08-21]
Rome Prays for Peru’s Quake Victims [2007-08-21]
Catholic Organizations Supporting Peru [2007-08-20]
Aid Groups Helping People and Local Church
Pontiff Sends $200,000 to Peru [2007-08-20]
Cardinal Bertone to Bring Papal Aid to Peru [2007-08-19]
Catholic Aid Reaches Cyclone-Hit Pakistan [2007-07-06]
Long-term Rebuilding Planned in Indonesia [2006-06-20]
Caritas Active in Wake of May 27 Quake
Caritas Aiding Victims of March Quake in Iran [2006-06-08]
Caritas Aiding Quake Victims in Rural Java [2006-05-31]
Plans Reconstruction in Indonesia
More…
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bankerdavid
Guest
IF the chair was gold, or the presentation system is state of the art, what’s the problem? Most churches ask for donations to specific funds, be it to re-roof the church, update the sound system, or whatever. These projects are always funded specifically. The Church does not say “fund this project, forget the poor.” We give lots for the purpose of taking care of the less fortunate, along side of giving to the church so we can hear the homilist better.
Once again, there’s a mentality getting in the way. Most Protestants and other non-Catholics use the ‘either/or’ principal, while Catholics tend to be ‘both/and’.
Remember when Judas chastised Mary Magdalene for using expensive ointments to minister to our Lord? Jesus told him that there would always be poor, but that Mary was working in service to Him. What we do to make our houses of worship more appealing is all for God’s glory.
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Teflon93
Guest
SILK dental floss, no doubt.It is, thats why they have to pull it with the pope mobile. I think they use dental floss for those hard to reach cracks and crevices.
And the MPG on the Popemobile? 3.4. We put a tow hitch on it so it could pull a fuel truck behind it and save time.
Ain’t no party like a Catholic party, 'cause a Catholic party don’t stop.
M
mdstanzel
Guest
Popemobiles are provide by and maintained by the Knights of Columbus. So back of the Popemobiles buddy…
The Knights also give the Pope $1 million every year for his charitable causes.
I’m still baffled as to why the Golden Chair is being treated like the golden calf. There’s a difference folks. Any normal idiot would know that the chair is overlain in gold. It’s basic art. The gold in and of itself wouldn’t stand without another metal or as they used to do…use wood. It’s perfectly normal and was the norm of it’s time. The golden chair / throne is online for all to see. The chair has nothing to do with the nonsense.
I was once very anti-Catholic too. Let look at basic facts.
Priests are given about 18k to 22k per year plus allowances for cars, living, etc. A single man with a little bit of money. Many if not most donate to their own charities. I will provide my son with money for his causes if he follows his vocation through to ordination. In fact, his first idea is to become a Franciscan. Many of you are truly suffering from the lack of Franciscan Friars at your parish…
We love our Friars. We’re 2 blocks from the wealthiest parish and my wife opts for the poor one. But the poor parish gives from their poverty where as the wealthy parish gives from their excess. People are people where ever you go. There are generous and greedy everywhere. So back off everyone. WE ARE ALL GUILTY of Greed, laziness, slothfulness, etc. 
I for one love the humble priests far more that the prideful preachers. I would have become a preacher had my wife not given me such a difficult time over it. Two of my brother in laws are preachers. My father in law was an Elder/bishop [lay of course]. We lived in that world too. Everybody spends more and less. Much of what you see at the parish is directly donated by parishoners. It’s unfair to attempt any correlation. We Catholics sacrifice because we accept the offering of giving. That’s why we are one of the if not the most charitable organizations in the world. My city employs over 2000 people to run things. I believe that that is more than the Vatican. And comparing priestly salaries compared to my measly salary, the Vatican cost much less to run and pay people. Of course we provide unimportant things like sewer and water for the citizens. I guess we could cut that out. You know, some pipe cost less to install that others. I wonder how much a PVC Pope Chair would cost to build. Maybe we could cut all of that priestly attire by making them wear thongs to save money too. We should make sure that all of our priests use only 3 squares of toliet tissue to day. And give them only enough water to sustain themselfs. I bet we could cut their medical benefits too. Let them suffer like the rest of us. Get rid of the grass and trees. We can install rock yards like they do in desert areas. I’m sure we could stop burning all of those candles and insense too. Lets cut the mass in half.
Oh yea. If you saw “my wife’s” prayer corner we might be able to sell all that nonsense on ebay and give that money to the poor. And that new SUV I just bought for her. She doesn’t need that, even though she drove a 1994 van with manual windows. I bet she doesn’t need that either. Okay, I sacrificed for her to be able to drive it. Ther are 5 of us and everytime one of our kids wants to invite a friend over it gets too complicated. Oh yea, since we’re judging me already. I know you don’t realize that my wife loads 5 children below the age of 3 everyday to pick up our 1st grader. And ironically, he has recently experienced a sudden growth in confidence since we bought that stupid vehicle. He is…was extremely shy. Go figure. We’ve been living like Franciscans even before we became Catholic.
The point is that there is no room for legitimate criticism based on the arguments presented. You know opinions are like deriers, everyone has one. But not all of them are worth looking at.
I hope I don’t get in trouble for saying this. Now say all of the above with an Oklahoma accent and you might follow my frame of thought here. Did I say that out loud?
The Knights also give the Pope $1 million every year for his charitable causes.
I’m still baffled as to why the Golden Chair is being treated like the golden calf. There’s a difference folks. Any normal idiot would know that the chair is overlain in gold. It’s basic art. The gold in and of itself wouldn’t stand without another metal or as they used to do…use wood. It’s perfectly normal and was the norm of it’s time. The golden chair / throne is online for all to see. The chair has nothing to do with the nonsense.
I was once very anti-Catholic too. Let look at basic facts.
Priests are given about 18k to 22k per year plus allowances for cars, living, etc. A single man with a little bit of money. Many if not most donate to their own charities. I will provide my son with money for his causes if he follows his vocation through to ordination. In fact, his first idea is to become a Franciscan. Many of you are truly suffering from the lack of Franciscan Friars at your parish…
We love our Friars. We’re 2 blocks from the wealthiest parish and my wife opts for the poor one. But the poor parish gives from their poverty where as the wealthy parish gives from their excess. People are people where ever you go. There are generous and greedy everywhere. So back off everyone. WE ARE ALL GUILTY of Greed, laziness, slothfulness, etc. I for one love the humble priests far more that the prideful preachers. I would have become a preacher had my wife not given me such a difficult time over it. Two of my brother in laws are preachers. My father in law was an Elder/bishop [lay of course]. We lived in that world too. Everybody spends more and less. Much of what you see at the parish is directly donated by parishoners. It’s unfair to attempt any correlation. We Catholics sacrifice because we accept the offering of giving. That’s why we are one of the if not the most charitable organizations in the world. My city employs over 2000 people to run things. I believe that that is more than the Vatican. And comparing priestly salaries compared to my measly salary, the Vatican cost much less to run and pay people. Of course we provide unimportant things like sewer and water for the citizens. I guess we could cut that out. You know, some pipe cost less to install that others. I wonder how much a PVC Pope Chair would cost to build. Maybe we could cut all of that priestly attire by making them wear thongs to save money too. We should make sure that all of our priests use only 3 squares of toliet tissue to day. And give them only enough water to sustain themselfs. I bet we could cut their medical benefits too. Let them suffer like the rest of us. Get rid of the grass and trees. We can install rock yards like they do in desert areas. I’m sure we could stop burning all of those candles and insense too. Lets cut the mass in half.
Oh yea. If you saw “my wife’s” prayer corner we might be able to sell all that nonsense on ebay and give that money to the poor. And that new SUV I just bought for her. She doesn’t need that, even though she drove a 1994 van with manual windows. I bet she doesn’t need that either. Okay, I sacrificed for her to be able to drive it. Ther are 5 of us and everytime one of our kids wants to invite a friend over it gets too complicated. Oh yea, since we’re judging me already. I know you don’t realize that my wife loads 5 children below the age of 3 everyday to pick up our 1st grader. And ironically, he has recently experienced a sudden growth in confidence since we bought that stupid vehicle. He is…was extremely shy. Go figure. We’ve been living like Franciscans even before we became Catholic.
The point is that there is no room for legitimate criticism based on the arguments presented. You know opinions are like deriers, everyone has one. But not all of them are worth looking at.
I hope I don’t get in trouble for saying this. Now say all of the above with an Oklahoma accent and you might follow my frame of thought here. Did I say that out loud?
N
NonDenom
Guest
Popemobiles are provide by and maintained by the Knights of Columbus. So back of the Popemobiles buddy…
C
Church_Militant
Guest
:yawn:
T
Teflon93
Guest
He keeps the cash in the big hat until he can buy more golden chairs.
God told him he needed to raise $8 million or he was a dead man—oh, wait, that was Oral Roberts.
C
clmowry
Guest
sits around waiting for someone to send him a picture of the gold chair cause he feels left out the loop
M
Michael_Francis
Guest
Thanks to all who participated. This thread is now closed.
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