That is BS. The Vatican has enough Gold to buy up all the assets of every Protestant church in America. That gold was stolen from the Peruvians and Bolivians and Mexicans in the name of the Catholic Church and thousands upon thousands of Native South Americans died in the process. The Gold that decorates the Vatican was purchased with the blood of the indigenous peoples of Central and South America. I don't think any protestant minister ever got rich by killing thousands of people and stealing their gold.
The opulence of the Vatican was purchased in blood. The opulence of today's megachurches was purchased with love offerings.
Your history is interesting. St. Peter's was largely complete by the time that Cortez conquered Mexico and Pizzaro and his gang conquered the Incas. The SILVER and gold was taken by the Spanish king and much of it went into the hands of the King's debtors. When the Emperor-king began to get enough money he used it to finance his military efforts to subdue the Reformation in Germany and to stop the spread of the Turks into the western Med. English pirates fed on the silver being brought to Europe from America, and I guess that as much ended up in the coffers of Elizabeth's government as in Rome.
"Opulence"? You mean the decorations on the tabernacles and candlestick holders? That reminds me of the whine of the good lady in the Gospels when she saw another anointing the feet of Jesus with spices and perfumes. What a waste!!
This "opulence" is not personal, lest we gloss over this important distinction. There were no condos or boats in the last will and testament of Pope John Paul II and his successor will likewise depart this mortal coil with no material legacy, either.
It's not clear that the plastic-haired shouters who appear on our TVs are similarly living the Gospel virtues of temperance and modesty.
This thread is filthy.
Here's an example.