Catholic Money Still Being Spent on Seeing Mary in Broken Windows



With a cash crunch going on, one would think the Vatican would clamp down on absurd expenses. It is not. Though it says it will no longer spend as much money investigating Mary's face or Jesus in broken windows, it's still doing it. 

Does every Catholic know they can buy a toaster that puts Mary's or Jesus's face on every piece of toast? While the old rule was all sitings like this had to be investigated we know this was not happening. Faces in toast, I am sure, were ignored. Yet, the broken windows, tree trunks and wherever else something like a face shows up there are apparently priests spending their time looking and reassuring.

As was discussed here recently, there has been a hiring and salary freeze in the Vatican for a while. The revenue from the vast denomination assigned to the Vatican has been declining. One analyst said current revenue is only enough to fund about 20% of the Vatican and it is being held up by temporary means which will run out within a decade. 

Mary in broken windows could surely be gone. So, too, could "Sainthood." Think of all the "Saints" who made it into that category because they performed some "miracle." Vatican staff were required to verify the miracle "actually happened." I've heard somewhere former Popes, I suppose all former Popes are "Saints", were qualified because someone was sick, prayed over and recovered. Really, the Vatican could halt all Sainthood and what difference would it make.

There must be many "research" projects and papers written in the Vatican about big public issues like married priests and women priests. What should be the overriding umbrella context for decisions like these? Protecting the Vatican staff and property is numero uno. To do this, revenue must cover costs. Therefore, the question for every thorny issue, married male priests and women clergy, must be, "Does it cash flow?" Every Bishop across the globe needs to figure out how these issues help to harm the financial condition of his diocese and decide accordingly. Yes, there will be endless criticism just as there is now about the "truth", but such people need to remember, no church, no truth.

Ideas about how to spend other peoples' money is not limited to Catholics. Even among atheists ideas are tossed out that involve gathering money and spending on showy projects. I've heard in various groups the notion of buying an abandoned church building and making it into a social and drop-in center for atheists or those wanting to leave the faith. A building, staff to support it? I doubt it would cash flow.

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