What Would Jesus Drive? Pope Tells Priests To Buy Humble Cars

  • Thread starter Thread starter Irish_Cabbie
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Corki said:
If you were a priest and chose to do that, great. But here’s a real example. The mother of one of the priests in my parents’ parish died. He inherited an older (but hardly ever driven) Mercedes. He could have traded it in for a Chevy. But he would have had to spend more money, ended up with a less reliable car and given up something that had sentimental value to him. Should he have done so just to give** the appearance **of a more humble vehicle? I don’t think so. I think the “message” that anyone infers can be one consideration but it shouldn’t override all other considerations, including common sense.
Click to expand...
Well, we can always find a needle in a haystack if we look hard enough, but as a general principle the Pope is right. As for what the priest in your particular example should do, it depends on a lot of things. If his parish is an inner city ghetto, the message would be more important than in an affluent suburban community. It also depends on how much people know about each other in any particular community. In a small town everyone would know the particular circumstances overnight. I don’t mean to diminish the points you made, but you should not diminish the importance of sending the right message either. Sentimental value? I’d guess the crucifix she wore around her neck had far greater sentimental value than her car. Why he would have to spend more money to trade in a barely used Mercedes for a barely used Ford, is beyond me. Yes, it’s less reliable, and also many times cheaper to repair. If reliability as between a Mercedes and a Ford were a chief criteria, then maybe we should all save up for a Mercedes, but I think the cost of replacement and the cost of repair would soon put that thought to rest.

I see you boldfaced appearances. Appearances are trivial in some situations, but not in this one. In some professions appearances are of paramount importance. A CPA for example is held to a high standard of independence, avoiding even the appearance of conflict of interest. For the priesthood, I’d say the importance of the appearance of humility is of medium importance, but still important.
 
Just as a follow up… This is an amusing story. Apparently Pope Francis was nosing around the Vatican City garage yesterday to ensure that the cars there met his standards of sobriety. So I guess that everyone in the Vatican is going to be driving Ford Focuses soon.
 
kag1982 said:
Just as a follow up… This is an amusing story. Apparently Pope Francis was nosing around the Vatican City garage yesterday to ensure that the cars there met his standards of sobriety. So I guess that everyone in the Vatican is going to be driving **Ford Focuses **soon.
Click to expand...
Ford Foci, perhaps 😃
 
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSs8bwmCaygvar7LvAC5Fdi1CWibguJfIn6CpqR-6ooSwXSYHki

The better to fish for men in!

Or is an army surplus Dukw “Duck” all that humble. In that it’s a convertible and a boat?

And being built in the 1940’s a classic and probably expensive now? :hmmm:

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTC8EWQ9c0PtYcZVXslprygWRwydtHnntSCNomJ-LcgNMCboKQ_oA

“Yugo therefore and teach all nations!” ?

Photo is from the Yugo Survivors Reunion. All living members.:stretcher:

With optional curtains, this doubles as a “Pope Tent”.

Next up … buildin’ the new rectory! :christmastree1:
 
Operalan said:
Of course, I agree with The Holy Father in needing to be humble. However, I’d think that Jesus would have driven a large SUV. After all, he had a lot of Apostles and Disciples traveling with him.
Click to expand...
I’m not sure if you were being facetious, but I thought this was really funny. 😃
 
YoungTradCath said:
I’ve never seen a great car owned by a priest.
Click to expand...
Likewise. Any priests I’ve ever know who have had cars have have owned very modest, secondhand cars. I’ve known some priests who didn’t own a car, but relied on a bicycle, lifts from parishioners and public transport. On the very low allowances priests get to live on I can’t see how any of them could afford anything but a very modest car.

With regards to bishops, Pope Francis may well have a point. I cannot see why a bishop ought to need a luxury car. As Pope Francis said, if a car is a necessity then a humble act should suffice. I can’t see why this shouldn’t apply to bishops.

However, perhaps we should all stop and think that perhaps the same message should apply to the rest of us? Why do we, as Christians, need anything other than a humble car? Sure, some people have large families and need large cars, fair enough and some people need larger vehicles to accommodate work requirements, hobbies etc. but perhaps we should think of cars in terms of utility rather than luxury or status.
 
The fact that the Pope is being driven around in a Ford Focus is very amusing. And the Ford logo is quite visible on those pictures so Ford is quite happy about this.
 
kag1982 said:
The fact that the Pope is being driven around in a Ford Focus is very amusing. And the Ford logo is quite visible on those pictures so Ford is quite happy about this.
Click to expand...


HENRY FORD

In their boardroom: THIS is a bigger endorsement than Cosby! Why a Focus? Have a focus group set up.

And find out why he insisted on the stripped down model. No air, radio, undercoating, NOTHING!

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/pu...rxl7ohU0A8LHH8JeK6a18nOV3VBp3drsnqGuc2=s120-c

A Focus is one step less humble
then THIS however.** – IT’S JESUS ON A DONKEY, HUMBLY small …**
 
Should this also apply, in principle, to deacons? I realize that they typically have a private source of income, but the issues of " image" and giving scandal seem to be the same. I know a deacon with an SUV (granted, it’s 12 years old, but most wouldn’t know that by looking at it), and I wonder if that’s a troubling image for clergy.
 
Everybody knows Jesus would walk. None of these fancy, newfangled automobiles. Okay, maybe a bicycle. But then again He did say, “For I did not speak of my own accord…” 😛 :rolleyes:
 
CaptFun said:
http://monevator.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/henry-ford.jpg

HENRY FORD

In their boardroom: THIS is a bigger endorsement than Cosby! Why a Focus? Have a focus group set up.

And find out why he insisted on the stripped down model. No air, radio, undercoating, NOTHING!

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/pu...rxl7ohU0A8LHH8JeK6a18nOV3VBp3drsnqGuc2=s120-c

A Focus is one step less humble
then THIS however.** – IT’S JESUS ON A DONKEY, HUMBLY small …**
Click to expand...
Irony is, Henry Ford was actually an anti-Semite - in fact, it all came back to him with a vengeance.
 
Patrick - Yes, amongst his ‘qualities’ was indeed anti-semitism, if I recall correctly Herr Hitler was quite a fan of his and actually had a picture of Henry Ford hanging on one of his office walls, as inspiration. :eek:

Ah, yes, from that wiki article:." Speaking in 1931 to a Detroit News reporter, Hitler said he regarded Ford as his “inspiration,” explaining his reason for keeping Ford’s life-size portrait next to his desk.[63] Steven Watts wrote that Hitler “revered” Ford, proclaiming that “I shall do my best to put his theories into practice in Germany,” and modeling the Volkswagen, the people’s car, on the Model T.
 
Slaney said:
Simple, Jesus would drive a Triumph…
Click to expand...
They haven’t been manufactured for decades; He would have to drive an oldie or make one Himself.

A Triumph sports car, or something more like the Herald - a modest family runabout?
 
Mount_Carmel said:
They haven’t been manufactured for decades; He would have to drive an oldie or make one Himself.

A Triumph sports car, or something more like the Herald - a modest family runabout?
Click to expand...
LOL well Moses came down the mountain in a Triumph 🙂
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top