Posted on 07/12/2013 12:30:45 PM PDT by markomalley
From Corriere della sera comes something straight from a Fellini movie (my translation).
I am not making this up.
Inspection – The Pope declared war on the Vatican’s luxury cars. First, he attacked wastefulness, underscoring that “it bothers me when I see a priest or a sister with a brand new car”. Then, a few days later, he put into practice what he had stated during a meeting with seminarians: on Wednesday he made an inspection of the Vatican parking lot. It isn’t the first time – already in the past days Pope Francis, on his way to lunch with a cardinal friend, visited the place where some cardinals usually park their cars.
[...]
The Pope is checking out what cars Vatican employees and cardinals are driving. Really?
This whole topic is a phenomenal waste of time. I post on it because, mark my words, people who can barely scrape three brain cells together, are going to latch onto the vague moralism of “think of the poor” when looking at the local priest’s car. There are some people who think that if the priest isn’t licking up water from puddles on the sidewalk and rubbing gravel through his hair, he is a bad priest who doesn’t care enough about las ovejas pobres.
Look. We need to make distinctions about a “good” car and a “luxury” car. We need to consider the prudent use of money as well. Is it a better use of money to buy a car that is old and used, newer and used, new? It depends on the car and how it is used, its safety features and record, its fuel efficiency and repair record. It depends on the price of the car and the price of the money (financing). If the same money will by a new good car or a used car, are you obliged to buy the used car? Does fuel efficiency figure in? Is this only about cars that look “sporty”? Is this about leather seats? Is this about what other people in the area drive? Priests often put a lot of miles on a car. It seems to me that priests are better off in a good car. Therefore, the flock is better off if the priest has a good car.
In the meantime, I understand that there is a run on old Fiats right now by Vatican employees and officials.
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EXCELLENT move by His Holiness to crack down on this hypocrisy.
I remember Msgr. Charles Owen Rice, Pittsburgh’s vaunted “Labor Priest”. He would go around lecturing corporations and the wealthy about their greed and poor treatment of “the American working man”. Yet he never drove anything but high-end luxury German automobiles.
I see too many of them in parishes near Philly. Even “pro-child pro-choice” stickers. Sickening.
"This is why we can't have nice things" PING
An 80-year-old retired priest allegedly bit an ear off another elderly clergyman during a violent brawl over a parking bay in their block of units...According to police, after the brawl Father Byrne told Father Smith to pick up an item up on the ground. It was not until Father Smith returned to his unit that he realised the item he had picked up and put in his pocket was his right ear....
-- from the thread Ear bitten off in priest v priest fight
Thank you for the opportunity to demonstrate the dangers of generalizing one’s own experiences.
He's worried about appearances rather than solving problems.
I used to give to Catholic Charities, but when I found out they supported Acorn, I quit giving to them.
I give to other charities. The only Catholic one I give to now is Covenant House which doesn't seem to be on Catholic Charities list. I often wonder how they can justify Acorn and other left wing causes, but not Covenant House (a charity that helps our throwaway kids)
I for one would rather see gold in the form of a Cross on the wall rather than hidden in a Swiss bank.
Please, people, I don’t think the Pope is advocating people drive used old clunkers. But, in my view, there is no need for a priest to be driving a Mercedes-Benz, worth perhaps $63,000 - which is what one Columbian priest was driving when it was suggested he sell it for a more humble model. There are plenty of more modest and reliable models along the car continuum.
Frankly, I’m surprised that a member of the clergy even needs to be told this.
I’m guessing that you KNOW that people DONATE CARS to Priests and NUNS, now don’t you?? Your mother didn’t tell you that.
Smart....NEVER give to Catholic Charities anymore.....NEVER.
Are you referring to the car or to the bumper sticker?
I would totally be on board with this if the Pope was also cracking down on bishops who allow pro-abortion politicians to receive communion.
IMO, the blessed sacrament is just a wee bit more important than fancy cars.
The 300+ pound priest at a near-by parish drives a “smart” car. I really want to see him get in or out of it one day.
...he attacked wastefulness, underscoring that "it bothers me when I see a priest or a sister with a brand new car".What if it's a new Prius? Is that wasteful?
I know you ask the question satirically, but the rationale is being wasteful of soldi not benzina. And at €30k a pop, I don't think the Prius would make his approval list.
I'm with the Pope on this one.
Would this pope have admonished Fulton Sheen for driving a Cadillac? The car was a gift. Also, why is he focusing on this stuff? The kind of car people drive is not directly related to their spiritual state. Shouldn’t he be working on building the body of Christ like his predessors JPII and BXVI?
I imagine he is just talking about the cars that the important people in the church are driving and every one else are paying for.
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