Should the Vatican Sell its Treasures…

Catholic Convert ^ | May 15, 2015 | Steve Ray

[NYer]

… to feed the poor?

Geez, I used to say that myself in my former life as a Protestant – when I was an anti-Catholic. Actually, if you added up all wealth and property of the Protestant churches and organizations it would FAR exceed that of the Vatican or all the individual dioceses around the world! Since it is often Protestants who make this challenge, do they ever suggest Protestants should sell all their land, buildings, pastors’ fancy cars and the mega-church $ millions?

Most people don’t realize that most of the Catholic Church’s “wealth” is in property, hospitals, schools, social services and churches. We are the largest health care provider in the world. To learn more about this, watch the fantastic video put out by www.CatholicsComeHome.com here. Click on “Epic Commercial.” This video make me PROUD to be a Catholic!

But, should the Catholic Church sell everything to feed the poor? No, first it shouldn’t and second it can’t. To find out why, read this article from Zenit (provided below). It was written several years ago but it is the same cogent argument and needs to be repeated often.

Pope Cannot Exchange Vatican Treasure for Food: Cardinal Explains Complications of Facebook Proposal

By Jesús Colina

VATICAN CITY,  (Zenit.org).- The proposal of a member of the social networking Web site Facebook suggesting that the Vatican should exchange its treasures for food in Africa is an impossibility due to international law, says Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes.

The president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum … commented on the online petition titled “Exchange the Vatican’s Treasures for Food for Africa. Do You Want to Sign a Petition?”

The cardinal noted that, apart from the ideological aspect of the proposal, the Pope cannot consider it because he is prevented from doing so by international law…

Alberto Juesas Escudero of Spain launched the initiative, which now has more than 40,000 supporters. Escudero claims “it is a shameful to see the Vatican’s riches and then watch the news.” He explained that what motivated him to issue this invitation was that he believes the Vatican “does not admit its errors. [...] It does not preach by example. Jesus was born in a cave and lived in poverty.”

The youth concluded: “The Vatican is a disgrace! The Catholic religion is a disgrace!”

In answer to ZENIT’s questions, Cardinal Cordes explained that he has heard similar proposals for the past 40 years, and that before it was even much more frequent.

When John Paul II called him to Rome to work in the Curia, he observed that “the climate against the Vatican was very strong.” He explained, “I had looked into [the status of the Vatican’s holdings] and found out that the Church cannot do what it wants with the works of art that are in the Vatican.”

"Going once, going twice...sold! How much for this Pieta?

Duty of the Church

In reality, he said, the Church “has the duty to conserve the works of art in the name of the Italian state.” He affirmed, “It cannot sell them.”
 
The prelate recalled an incident in the 1970s when a benefactor made a donation to renovate the Collegio Teutonico inside the Vatican, and the residence director wanted to give this person a small statue — of a meager value compared to the others in the Vatican Museums — as a gesture of gratitude. 

The German benefactor had a lot of problems with the Italian state, as he was accused of taking goods that Italy was charged with safeguarding. ”In every country there are a lot of measures for the defense of works of art, because the state has a duty to maintain them,” Cardinal Cordes added, noting that the Holy See treasures are also part of Italian cultural history.

The Cor Unum president underlined the work of the Catholic Church in health services and education in various regions in Africa. ”When they come to meet the Pope, the African presidents recognize this,” he said.

Without the Church, he affirmed, a huge part of those afflicted with AIDS would be abandoned, because the Church, with its network of hospitals, is the organization that cares for the largest number of people affected by the virus.

[NYer]

Ping!

This argument surfaces in every generation.

[dp0622]

If they were to invest that money into wealth producing income to help feed the poor, that’s one story, but a one shot handout and then what? What purpose would that serve?

They are about to do for more damage than ALL their treasure is worth by going along with this climate change nonsense.

Disclaimer. I’m Catholic.

[9thLife]

[stanne]

Everyone sell all their jewelry to feed the poor.

Who’s buying it? and why shouldn’t THEY sell it and feed the poor?

[Captain Peter Blood]

The Catholic also has a huge collection of art, papers, manuscripts, etc. and etc. that would add up to multi-billions.

This was a sub-plot in Morris West’s book “The Shoes of the Fisherman”. The new Pope wanted to sell of the church’s wealth to do good works. Not a thought about once it was spent.

[NormsRevenge]

It sure is a bunch of purty stuff..

Priceless!!

and not coming to EBay anytime soon..

[Bayard]

The only people who could buy the art and creative history that the Vatican houses wouldn’t let you see it unless you were part of their wealthy inner circle.

Definitely not what is good for research, scholarship, or civilization.

[miss marmelstein]

Good essay. Yes, let’s sell the Pieta into private hands so no one will ever see it again.

[NKP_Vet]

What the pope says about climate change does not mean squat. Does not affect the lives of a practicing Catholics one iota.

[miss marmelstein]

Do you object to the Windsor Collection? Historians have access to the Vatican archives. I belong to a society that has recently been given access and found a document that is very important for said society. From the 15th Century.

[Secret Agent Man]

Now they hide behind “international law” as the excuse?

The pope can sell off whatever he wants to sell off. He can make it happen if he wants to. He can direct his officers (cardinals and archbishops) to do the same thing.

International Law. When it suits them they cite International Law. When in other cases it suits them, they cite Canon Law. Good grief.

[Slyfox]

Henry VIII liquidated all the monasteries in England in fours years. He got about $150,000,000. worth of lead, precious jewels, endowments and the sale of property. All of it was divvied up between himself and his cohorts. The people lost their monasteries and the poor lost their help in times of trouble. As a result, the poor began to move to London. One Anglican bishop made a comment about the sad fact that none of the confiscated wealth went to help any of the poor.

[Dr. Thorne]

[Scrambler Bob]

Very Good.

Logical, even.

[delchiante]

They have sold the world their december 25 lie, their good Friday lie, their easter Sunday and every Sunday lie, and their pope gregory calendar lie.

Lots of people, even Protestants, have bought a lot of knock offs the Vatican sells..

The world would be better served to junk that stuff and buy the truth..

[Salvation]

Should the Vatican Sell its Treasures…??

There are already programs to take care of feeding the poor.

Keep the treasures; they are marks of history in our world.

[Salvation]

Sell your wedding rings — and take the pawn shop’s money and feed the man at the freeway entrance.

[hoagy62]

In the movie of the same name, the Pope (Anthony Quinn) was up against it to try to keep the communist Chinese from attacking the Soviet Union due to extreme hunger in China. In order to do that, at the end of the movie, he made the announcement from the Vatican that the Church would indeed sell off it’s massive stocks of treasure to provide money for food to feed the starving Chinese. In doing so, although it isn’t explicitly shown, he apparently did prevent global war.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Sell your wedding rings — and take the pawn shop’s money and feed the man at the freeway entrance.

That is a perfect analogy.

The NYT, no friend of the Catholic Church, estimates the value of the entirety of Vatican City to be $10-15 billion, or 1/2 of the endowment of Harvard University.

The Vatican oversees over 1 billion Catholics worldwide.

+ + +

The Vatican's priceless artwork was given to the Church by faithful Catholics who were seeking to glorify God.

+ + +

Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Then Mary took about a pinta of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.b ” 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you,c but you will not always have me.”