In the movie, the new Pope, IIRC, actually acted out in a Christian way, and gave away the wealth of the church to the needy.
The bureaucracy of the church...was astonished. And it resisted the new direction.
It upset the entire established order. But...but...you can't do that? Oh, yes, I can. And I am obligated to. And you do so, too.
An old movie. I think it was Anthony Quinn?
I remember very little of it, more's the pity.
In the movie, the new Pope, IIRC, actually acted out in a Christian way, and gave away the wealth of the church to the needy.
You know, this stuff always sounds great when you talk about it, but if it really happened would it be so wonderful? I don't think so. If the Church gave away all the buildings and art, would the poor go away? No. But, now they would have no beautiful churches to pray in and no beautiful art to inspire them. Why do we, in our places of comfort, condescend to believe that the poor don't appreciate beauty? Why do people suggest that the poor don't want to pray in a beautiful church, or listen to beautiful music, or see beautiful art? I have been poor, quite poor, and I can tell you that a beautiful church was one thing I looked to as my own. It was there for me. I could go and pray and experience the reverence and awe as my own, and nobody could take it away. The truth is that those churches were built largely by the donations of poor people because they believed in them and wanted to worship God in a way which felt heavenly, and now we talk as if we should just give them away to feed some people today. Generation after generation of Catholics have found solace and comfort in worshiping in such churches, and we would sell all that out for a gesture that could only help a few people right now. I just don't see how selling Saint Peters and turning it into a museum charging entrance fees would in any way measure up to what it is for everybody now.