[Sherman Logan]

I’ve never quite understood this point.

Who do “the most gilded lavish Catholic churches” in “the smallest, most impoverished villages in Mexico” belong to?

It seems to me they are, at least in practical terms, the property of the villages and their people. It’s not like the priest or bishop is going to sell off the decor to live a more riotous life or pay off his own debts. That was a legitimate criticism back during the Renaissance, but not, AFAIK today.

And I’m neither Catholic nor a huge fan of the Church.

[zerosix]

I don't know who those cathedrals belong to but think the Church, not the local peasants dropping their coins to buy a candle to light for their loved ones.

I'm not Catholic either but always wondered why such beautifully adorned and gilded houses of worship, standing next to people living in mud huts, no clean water and very little substance.

With the current head of the Catholic church claiming that other should be required to do more for the poor, living in an ivory (golden) tower, smacks as the ultimate hypocrisy!