Vatican Storing Wealth for Themselves?

[cody.helscel]

Recently I posed this question on Facebook: Do you object against Catholicism and, if you do, then why?

Someone responded and is as follows: Yes I object, the Vatican has enough stored wealth to end poverty and hunger and they do nothing.

Should I reply, and how would I respond if so?

 

[Kei]

Ask him where he gets this claim from, then to substantiate it.
Or rather, look this up beforehand, without asking and see the truth of the matter.

In ~2008, the estimated amount of money needed to end world hunger was 130 billion dollars, fyi.

 

[Kathleen18]

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[joeybaggz]

Most of the Vatican wealth is in the form of real estate, art, etc. It is not case as the Vatican Bank consistently runs a deficit. If your antagonist doesn’t want to agree, have them cite evidence.
Yes, the Pieta would probably fetch 50 million or more, and yes there is land owned by the church, but it is earmarked for future religious, education, or possible health care (hospital) services.
And if you sold the art, who would buy it? Possibly some Islamic terrorist like Bin Laden? Would make a great centerpiece in a ISIS men’s room being … well just say, violated.
This idea of the Vatican having untold wealth comes up all the time when critics of the church have nothing else to say.

 

[Theo520]

has enough stored wealth to end poverty and hunger and they do nothing.

ROFL, that someone thinks ending poverty and hunger is a money issue, and if you did give everyone say a month of full meals, the problem wouldn’t reappear starting the next day.

 

[Trickypixie]

Even if one is not Catholic the idea of selling precious artifacts to the highest bidder should appear Ludacris.

If we want to ask that such things occur, we should look into selling the Washington Monument. It’s not as pretty as the pieta but I’m sure someone might want it. We could also sell the original copy of the Constitution. Now that would fetch a pretty penny!

I especially like what the poster said about poverty not being solved with money. It is solved with humility, love and compassion that is gained through prayer.

 

[End_Timer]

As of yesterday 9am, RCC had only $$ 36.86 on hand

 

[Seeksadvice]

You will never “end poverty” by throwing more money at it. The way to “end poverty” is to keep pants zipped and not reproduce like a bunch of rabbits. Famine, disease, war, etc. are all nature’s way of purging the excess population.

 

[PetraG]

Recently I posed this question on Facebook: Do you object against Catholicism and, if you do, then why?

Someone responded and is as follows: Yes I object, the Vatican has enough stored wealth to end poverty and hunger and they do nothing.

Should I reply, and how would I respond if so?

I think I’d point out that Bill Gates is worth somewhere between six and ten times as much as the Vatican, and even Microsoft couldn’t end poverty and hunger all by itself.

If you need somethng more specific, though, try this:
https://douglasbeaumont.com/2015/07/13/catholic-wealth-and-spending/

The other thing to point out to those who dislike beautiful churches is to point out that it is about the only beautiful place that welcomes everyone, even the very poor. It is the only very beautiful place that a poor man has to go, and what could be better when you only have one really beautiful place welcoming you that it is place that welcomes you to rest in God? (Oh, and don’t forget what St. Vincent de Paul societies, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services and other Catholic charitable efforts are out doing for the poor on a practical front.)

 

[PetraG]

You will never “end poverty” by throwing more money at it. The way to “end poverty” is to keep pants zipped and not reproduce like a bunch of rabbits. Famine, disease, war, etc. are all nature’s way of purging the excess population.

A living wage for an honest week’s hard work wouldn’t hurt, either, Mr. Empathy.

 

[PetraG]

In ~2008, the estimated amount of money needed to end world hunger was 130 billion dollars, fyi.

I don’t know how it is possible to end world hunger when there is so much world strife. There isn’t anywhere where it is worse to be desperate and vulnerable than in a place that has “warring factions.” There are plenty who need help elsewhere, but civil wars cause displacement, ruin industry and agriculture, strike down some of the strongest in their prime, and lay nations waste while the war lasts. This and psychological bankruptcies like addiction make alleviation of poverty far more than finding enough beds and meals for everyone going without.

 

[Seeksadvice]

That leaves you being like a dog chasing its tail. Suddenly things cost more just because they can. Futurama had a great sarcasm episode on it.

 

[Pup7]

(Oh, and don’t forget what St. Vincent de Paul societies, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services and other Catholic charitable efforts are out doing for the poor on a practical front.)

Don’t some Catholic hospitals help subsidize care if needed? I don’t mean they foot the bill, but don’t they help?

 

[Pup7]

That leaves you being like a dog chasing its tail. Suddenly things cost more just because they can. Futurama had a great sarcasm episode on it.

Or because they have to - if businesses are forced to raise wages, and their traffic doesn’t increase, the revenue has to come from somewhere.

The area I currently live in is an amazing example of how this can fall flat on its face. It’s killing Seattle small businesses.

 

[PetraG]

That leaves you being like a dog chasing its tail. Suddenly things cost more just because they can. Futurama had a great sarcasm episode on it.

No, I think it leaves the most fortunate households making only five or six times what average people make instead of ten or twenty times as much.
Since 1979, the after-tax income of the bottom 20-80 percent of household incomes has risen about 40%.
The after-tax income of the the top 19% has gone up by about 70%.
The after-tax income fo the top 1%? It has gone up by 192%.

Read up on income inequality some time. There are encyclicals about it; they do not favor the wealthy hitting up the working class for the lowest wages they can get them to work for.

I don’t think this is about small businesses. I think this is more about outfits like Walmart, who has put both workers and their vendors over a barrel. It isn’t to keep Walmart alive. It is so Walmart can squeeze every penny up to the top that it can. If that means forcing manufacturing overseas, well, so be it.

 

[Seeksadvice]

What, you mean the big-bad business owners aren’t the miraculous eternal fount of endless money for the masses?

I wonder how many of these “living wage” folks will like not having a job at all when the business closes, or relocates.

Sorry, but the janitor can’t make the same income as the sales force, owners, etc.

 

[Pup7]

Not to be contrary, but rent here has exploded and the housing market has gone stagnant.

It costs about seven bucks a head to eat in McDonald’s here. (I don’t, but most folks can use that as a gauge.) In Spokane, it’s about eight bucks a head.

Gas is up to $3.50 a gallon.

Businesses in central Seattle and Tacoma are closing and citing the wage hike as the problem.

It’s killing the economy.

California is having the same experience - on an even bigger scale.

And as for Walmart, they’ve increased the number of self checkouts, as have Target, McDonald’s, and many other employers - and more are talking about doing the same. I don’t know what the answer is, but this isn’t how to do it - at the expense of everyone else.

 

[Seeksadvice]

Let’s look at “fortunate” shall we? Yes, there are those folks who are born with a silver foot in their mouth, but looking at other things. Somebody who has marketable skills should be compensated more than say a burger flipper, yes? The years (decade+) of sacrifice it takes to become a skilled neurosurgeon should be able to commend more compensation than an unskilled toilet scrubber, yes? Somebody who puts in 50-60+ hours per week to make sure that things get covered should be compensated more than the person who barely makes 40, yes?

Fortune many times has to do with getting off one’s rear and doing something.

RE Walmart - it’s starting to get beaten up by Amazon, et al. Guess what, there’s a cheaper way of doing things than Wal-Mart, and now, since being “low price” is the only card it has, it’s kind of screwed.

Also, one wonders what all of the off-shore workers would do if it weren’t for US outsourcing…

 

[Pup7]

RE Walmart - it’s starting to get beaten up by Amazon, et al. Guess what, there’s a cheaper way of doing things than Wal-Mart, and now, since being “low price” is the only card it has, it’s kind of screwed.

Yep.

Here’s some awesomeness that some here might know and some might not.

Amazon opened a super cool market in Seattle. There are no attendants and there are no checkouts. You log into your Amazon app and as you shop, it totals your bill, and charges the card associated with your Amazon account as you walk out.

There are a few people walking around to help, but there are no checkouts.

It’s absolutely brilliant.

So they save a ton of money in salaries (because they’re in the $15 an hour zone), you don’t get harassed, and you’re on your way in no time.

Oh, and you can’t shoplift from there either - it knows what you pick up. It also knows if you log in or not, you can’t get in without logging in, and it alarms if you try to leave without paying for something (like you try to be cute and log out).

 

[Seeksadvice]

Makes sense. Of course, you folks have horrid gas taxes and other fun stuff over there. California is just a mess at all levels. Hep A is running rampant in a lot of their urban areas along with piles ‘o’ feces, pools of urine, and haystacks of needles. California has to be proof that God has a sense of humor.

Made the mistake of eating at McDonalds this weekend on an out-of-town trip. Ick. Gives me new incentive to grow, catch/hunt, etc. my own food… well that and a trip to the supermarket lately;P A Finnish made Sako in 30-06 - $1,500.00. A German made Zeiss Conquest scope - $600.00. A box of Finnish made Lapua “Naturalis” in 30-06 - $50.00. Not eating something prepared by poorly trained bipedal organisms - priceless.