Simony

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mikaele
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Thank you. And where can I find this in the catechism? and it seems pretty obvious to me that owning an illegally downloaded movie or song is the same thing?
 
Mikaele said:
I’m speaking theoretically. I never said I know of a priest right at this moment committing simony. I should have been more clear, I only know that it happens in rare cases these days in some places in Africa. (So I have been told.)

But theoretically… if a priest bought me a Ferrari via simony, and I had full knowledge that his money for the car came via simony, would I be obliged to refuse it? (and I know I’m supposed to inform the bishop etc.)

Is it a sin for me to own something that was bought with ‘dirty’ money? (ie Money gained via simony)
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I think there are different things to weigh. If someone stole money from me, and then used it to buy me a present, I think I’d be fully entitled to accept it. Simony is a crime against the faith and the faithful, so the Church might stand in a similar position in such a circumstance. Of course, it would have, I think, an obligation to see to it that restitution were made to the faithful, if possible. But the precise moral equivalency you’re attempting to draw is, at best, a non-obvious one.
 
But if I was a priest, and I told everyone that my Mass was the most holy and that you had to pay to come, then I got millions of dollars and bought an island off Jamaica and left it to my family, would it be morally wrong for them to own it?
 
What would have to be done with the property? sell it and give to the poor?
 
Mikaele said:
What would have to be done with the property? sell it and give to the poor?
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As the recipient, it is not for you to sell or do anything with the property. It is for the principal offender to recoup the money and make reparations to those from whom he has stolen.
 
Mikaele said:
What would have to be done with the property? sell it and give to the poor?
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It depends on the circumstances. You’re clearly not talking about a hypothetical, so it’s a little bit inappropriate to ask people to give definitive snap judgments on potentially complex issues about which you’ve said next to nothing.

(Please do not, of course, actually accuse any priest of simony here.)
 
What if the offender was dead, what would the recipients do with the property?
 
Mikaele said:
What if the offender was dead, what would the recipients do with the property?
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It would depend on a whole host of factors. Like Mark mentioned, it is near impossible to give detailed answers to a vague moral hypothetical.
 
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