How rich is the catholic church?

Question

How rich all the property, everything? Any ideas?

Numbers, give me numbers:-)
Not how much the aparenrtly help people how much?

Answer 1

Here is the 2005 financial statement for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles: http://www.archdiocese.la/about/reports/Administrative%20Office-FS-2005.FINAL.pdf

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Too rich... the catholic church is the biggest money grubbing effrontery to the word of God ever!!! If they tried actually practicing what is in the bible, they would go belly up, overnight!! The clergy are the absolute worst example of a true christian anyone could come up with. Catholic doctrine and dogma has, for the past 1800 some odd years, done nothing other than break every last rule/guideline ever written into the bible... Never wondered why, for so long, only priests were allowed to read the bible? Because if the congregations of the catholic religion actually read and understand the bible, the catholic church would crumble into nothingness!!

Answer 3

The Catholic Church own the biggest library in the World and has many important churches and artifacts, however the Catholic Church does it all for God. As the Body of Christ, it takes care of millions of people. It is the organization that does the most humanitarian work and aid for the poor, diseased, and anyone else.

Answer 4

Do NOT read Angels and Demons. The book talks about CERN, and its a real place but they totally lie about it. My dad has been there, and they do NOT have a spaceship (see my source.

Actually the Catholic church is not very rich when you take into account the number of members it has. I read that the average American Catholic tythes $500 a year. Most Protestants tythe more.

Answer 5

If we are talking in terms of liquid wealth, it is very poor. Most of the material wealth is in hard assets, buildings, properties, historical artwork etc. This makes it nearly impossible to put a dollar figure on the wealth of the Church. St. Peter's Basilica in Rome would cost an unfathomable amount of money to build today if one had to purchase the exact same piece of land in down town Rome from the city.

However, I would like to point out that the wealth of the Church has been given to her by her children out of love. If you go to the poorest nation in Africa or Latin America, seek out their Catholic Church and notice what the people have poured into it in to make it beautiful.

Judas once grumbled about Christ being anointed with expensive perfume when the money could have been given to the poor. He did not realize that the poor woman gave such a thing because she loved Christ. Judas didn't understand love. Just like today, when people complain about the Body of Christ, the Church, being rich, they do not see that she has what she has because the poor love her.

Answer 6

The Roman Catholic Church I would think.They have palaces and even their own city/country called Vatican City.They have far more influence then any other religion when it comes to money.

Answer 7

Read Angels & Demons by Dan Brown author of the DaVinci Code. He mentions it somewhere and it seems to me that he is fairly well informed.

Answer 8

It is one of the richest churches on the planet. But then again, that is the purpose of religion. It is big buisness nothing more.

Answer 9

well... the head of the Roman Catholic church has its own country... and we all know its not a 3rd world country...

Answer 10

pretty rich. im sure those bullet proof platform mercedes and gay looking papal guards are expensive.

check out the link to a picture of a vatican guard. ouch.