Only 10% of Vatican’s $55 million ‘Peter’s Pence’ actually goes to poor, Wall Street Journal claims

[Cathoholic]

tafan2 . . .

Have you given to Peter’s Pence before? What were your assumptions about where your money went?

I am not going to publicly state where I apply my charity (with few exceptions).

 

[tafan2]

Far enough. If you had given to your parish’s yearly collection for Peter’s Pence, what would you have assumed it was for? Does this article in the WSJ make you less likely to give at this time?

 

[Cathoholic]

I am trying not to personalize the issue.
I am attempting not to recruit my feelings or “assumptions” here.

I’m laying out what is happening,
and why some people don’t care,
and why other people do care.

I’m not going to personalize it in a thread like this.

You can easily take the articles above, and draw your own conclusions without me or my assumptions.

 

[tafan2]

I’m laying out what is happening,
and why some people don’t care,
and why other people do care.

I don’t think you are laying out such a case. You are laying out why other people might care. And while you will find an example to everything you might say about how people might feel about an issue, that does not make it significant. In this case, I suspect the vast majority of Catholics who have donated to Peter’s Pence are like me. They think they are giving money to the Holy Father to do with as he sees fit. They have never once looked at the Vatican’s marketing materials for it. The second collection comes around once a year and they think to themselves, yes I should throw in a few bucks for this, for no other reason than that I am a Catholic and this goes to the Holy Father.

 

[Cathoholic]

tefan2 . . . .

I don’t think you are laying out such a case.

Well there you go! Looks like you got it all squared away yourself.

(Look. I disagree.

But I am OK with you thinking this. You don’t have to agree with me.

I am perfectly content with you thinking that I have not laid out
positions of concern over finances and transparency for many Catholics.
[That’s exactly WHY this article is drawing interest internationally. Because people want to know “what’s up with my donations?”]
It is certainly a concern for the Holy Father as he OKed this recent financial raid the article said.
Others can read for themselves and make their own determinations.)

 

[poche]

Does anyone suppose that teh electricity that lights up the Vatican is free?

 

[Cathoholic]

poche . . .

Does anyone suppose that teh electricity that lights up the Vatican is free?

I don’t think anybody takes issue with paying the light bill.

Just set up a “light bill” fund.

But don’t tell the people . . . “this is going to feed the poor” . . .

. . . when a sizable amount is going for losing property investments in London, movie making, first-class flights, high-class apartments for men like Monsignor Luigi Capozzi, etc. . . .

Don’t tell that to the people.

Just be open and up front with them.

Tell them that it’s to fund new positions in the Vatican for men like Bishop Zanchetta.

Just be transparent.

Then you can give to those causes if you want.

And others can bypass those ways, and donate to other non-Vatican sources where they help feed a poor mom and her baby that THEY think has much more “bang for the buck” in terms of helping the poor.

Or pay DIRECTLY to the International Catholic shrines instead of via the Vatican.

Especially right now at this point in time when you have Pope Francis himself openly admit he is concerned about corruption and is authorizing Vatican police raids because of this suspected corruption. (Here it is again.)

 

[poche]

I have always understood the Peters Pence to be for the upkeep of the Vatican, and that a portion would go to the poor.