I don't have the budget in front of me right now. This is a vain attempt at deflection. Bottom line is the catholic church will not release its finances.....why is the question.
I can wait, unless of course your earlier post was incorrect and it is hidden after all. Catholic clergy are, on average, paid less than Protestant clergy according to recent articles I read. Rabbis, Protestant, and Catholic in descending order by average compensation.
I'm not going to run right out and get the budget though just to satisfy you. However, the yearly budget for our church is just a shade over 2.7 million.
I can wait for you to start posting correct Biblical citations as well.
I'd also love to see the articles, if you really read them, that document what you claim regarding salaries of the various clergy.
As a reminder, the whole issue this started on was an assertion by a poster claiming that "there is no use of religion to accumulate "personal wealth for wives and children.." This is a dodge to avoid answering the question....how much is the catholic church worth. Why hide the finances?
I certainly don't think the vast majority of people entering the ministry do so thinking they will become rich if that's your assertion.
However, the issue still remains that the catholic church has not and will not reveal the earthly wealth it has accumulated for itself.
However, I did find this from CNBC:http://www.cnbc.com/id/100505651#.
Let's start with the basics: The pope emeritus will receive a monthly pension of 2,500 euros, according to Italian newspaper La Stampa.
That translates to almost $3,300, or close to the monthly maximum of $3,350 that Social Security will pay to an American who retires this year.
Few people will actually qualify for that amount. For starters, you would have to wait until 70 to retire. You would also have to spend most of your working life earning Social Security's taxable maximum pay, which is set at $113,700 this year.
"That's quite rare," said Richard Johnson, director of the program on retirement policy at the Urban Institute.
He pointed out that the average Social Security check is about $1,200 a month — not enough to pay for the typical American retiree's expenses.
"For most people, if you look at the median, Social Security counts for about 40 percent of their income. So it's important, but people rely a lot on other savings, like pensions or 401(k) savings," Johnson said.
A big nest egg is not something the pope emeritus has to worry about. The Roman Catholic Church will cover his living expenses, provide him with a spacious home inside the Vatican and pay for everything from cooked meals to housekeepers, according to The Telegraph.
Such services are not available to the typical American senior, unless he or she pays for an assisted living facility or resides in a nursing home, Johnson said.
However, I don't begrudge a man of God who is preaching the Word faithfully, being used by God to grow the Kingdom, visiting the sick, etc, whatever salary the church votes him to receive. Even Paul noted preacher boys should be paid.