[goodwithagun]

There is a comment about the wealth of the Catholic church. My husband is Catholic and my son was baptized Catholic, and I have been thinking about joining the church. I have some reservations, though, and this is one of them. If so many people are impoverished, why can’t the church sell priceless objects and use the money for rice? They are after all, just objects. Painting, sculptures, land, buildings, etc.

[Romulus]

why can’t the church sell priceless objects and use the money for rice?

First, because this is the same question Judas asked.

Second, because the Church has a duty to preserve her inheritance for its intended use.

Third, because God has lots of money, and there's no need to choose between swell art and feeding the poor. If the poor are oppressed, look to where the real money is being spent in this world.

[pbear8]

The art, etc is held in trust for all to enjoy. The land is used for good purposes. Should we sell the hospitals and orphanages and schools?

And if one sold the 'Pieta' and one fed all the poor for one day, what then? Better to continue the Church's educational mission and teach them to feed themselves.

If this question is the only one keeping you from the Church do some reading by others far better than I and once your questions are answered come join us. The door is always open to you.

[A.A. Cunningham]

You sound like Judas whining about the cost of spikenard.

I'll bet you give money to panhandlers, don't you?

[yankeedame]

"...and I have been thinking about joining the church. I have some reservations, though, and this is one of them. If so many people are impoverished, why can’t the church sell priceless objects and use the money for rice? They are after all, just objects. Painting, sculptures, land, buildings, etc.

If I may:

The Church would be selling the timeless for the temporary; the patrimony of all for the convenience of a few.

There is an old Russian saying "Bad crops comes from God, hunger comes from man." IOW,there's more than enough food and/or potential for growing food in the world. The hunger you speak of comes from evil men for their own purposes. How would stripping the RCC of its art work change that?

How many bags of rice would selling Raphael's The School of Athens buy? And what happens after the rice is eaten...and forgotten? People are still hungry, tyrants are still evil, The Church has nothing to show for it, and we regular folks have nothing to restore, renew, affirm, and delight our faith and/or love of art.

Add to this the fact that a lot of the Church's treasure is tied of in things that simply can't be sold. They may be too big or too much a part of the landscape, i.e. the Sistine Chapel or Michelangelo's Pita; or, to be honest, things nobody in particular would wants: who'd want, for example, the Sarcophagus of Junius Bessus?