Do priests take a vow of poverty, and, if so, why do the Pope, cardinals and bishops live so high on the hoof?

Question

I think even the lowly parish priest lives pretty well.

My own view is that the Church could really rejuvenate itself by selling at least most of its assets and giving the proceeds to the poor. Perhaps not a practical idea, but I seriously think the Pope should consider it. By the way, I don't think the Pope is "Jesus Christ on Earth." I don't think the Pope should have a beautiful Italian summer home. If I was the Pope, I'd get rid of it.

Answer 1

Some do, some don't.

There are two types of Catholic priests:

+ A religious priests is ordained into a religious order like the Society of Jesus (Jesuit) or Franciscans. He receives duty assignments from superiors in their respective religious orders. Some religious priests specialize in teaching, whereas others serve as missionaries in foreign countries, where they may live under difficult and primitive conditions. Other religious priests live a communal life in monasteries, where they devote their lives to prayer, study, and assigned work. These priests take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience.

+ A diocesan priest is ordained to serve in a specific geographical area (called a diocese). He ministers under the leadership of a bishop, and will more than likely serve as a parish priest. These priests take vows of chastity and obedience but not poverty.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Not all priests take a vow of poverty. Priests who are members of an order or community usually take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Diocesan priests, who staff most parishes, do not take a vow of poverty. The parish provides a place for the parish priest to live and sustenance along with a relatively meager stipend or salary per month. Consider that the priest must buy his own clothes, entertainment, car, and whatever else he might want/need beyond room and board. His salary doesn't go very far. Neither do the pope, cardinals, bishops take vows of poverty unless they belong to an order. Considering their state in our society and that they own none of what they have from the church community, they don't live so very high.

Answer 3

Priests take many different types of vows, but most take a vow to live a simple type of life. This does not necessarily mean living in complete poverty, it could just mean not acquiring lots of material possessions, and remembering that material goods are not all there is to life.

As far as living well, mostly the individual priest will not actually OWN anything. He lives in a house owned by the Church, drives a car owned by the Church and sits on furniture owned by the Church. This is part of the deal ...

In western countries priests do quite well because the Church has fewer priests and more assets, but in poorer countries, the reverse is true and many priests live very poorly.

A lot of it is dependant on what point of view you look at it from.

Answer 4

1. Not all orders of priests take the vow of poverty.

2. Poverty does not mean poor, in the context of the vow of poverty. In that context, it means not having a large amount of PERSONAL posessions. A parish priest may have a nice computer that is HIS, bought on his stipend, but the house, car, and probably even furniture belong to the parish, not the priest. A priest explained the vow of poverty as, "I must be ready to move quickly as God directs me ... I can shove my computer in a box and go, but I couldn't shove a house in a box and go."

3. What would you like the Vatican to do with all the priceless art it has been given as gifts? The Vatican goes to great lengths to preserve these arts for the whole world. Sold, those pieces may be worth a great deal of money -- but the people who have the money already could be doing charity too. Further, the people who could afford to buy them rarely have the world community in mind, they want a priceless treasure to throw in with the others, and if the art deteriorates, oh well. The Vatican maintains the art it has in the interests of all humanity, and as such is doing a charity [the curators and preservationists don't work for free, after all].

Answer 5

The Catholic Church (Vatican) is the single wealthiest economic entity in the world today.

Its estimated wealth (over $3,000 Billion) dwarfs the European Union, the United States and any other entity.
See:
http://one-faith-of-god.org/final_testament/end_of_darkness/truth/truth_0020.htm

Only around $300 Billion (less than 10%) is visible through churches, charities, schools etc. The vast majority, like a golden iceberg is submerged via front companies, secret bank accounts, trusts and political arrangements.

The Catholic Church uses its charities both as a front to claim it is a compassionate organization as well as a moral hostage when challenged to reveal its true wealth. For example, the church used the threat of closing down front line services as an effective argument to get US attorneys to back away from supporting large payments for decades of church organized pedophilia rings.

Jesus never founded christianity. He founded the Nazarenes
See:
http://one-faith-of-god.org/new_testament/apocrypha/nazarenes/nazarenes_0010.htm

Paul of Tarsus and the Jewish High Priests who had Jesus crucified set up christianity as parasitic movement. See
http://one-faith-of-god.org/new_testament/apocrypha/founders_christianity/founders_christianity_0010.htm

WWJT- What would Jesus think
==============================
* Jesus remains both horrified and mystified why the Popes and the Vatican continue to get away with it.

* It is the most unreligious organization on the planet, making a mockery of everything Jesus stood for and said.

* One day, he probably hopes that people who claim to follow him will wake up and finally end this awful organization.

Answer 6

obviously the pope cant live in the middle of nowhere are you crazy he is our jesus christ on earth do we really want our jesus christ on earth the be live somewhere where he could be shot or somthing happening to him plus its true that priest that vow and many priest live life of poverty well at least the ones that i know of for the others i can safly say that they r doing is wrong that is if they r really doing it like you say

Answer 7

Vow of poverty does not mean being poor . They can live ok too. Vow of Poverty is not to have personal ownership but to share.

I understand certain religious orders takes vows of poverty ( being poor) I think is francisican friars.

as well as chaisty and obedience.

Answer 8

<> The pope would not have his very own city. He lives and works in Vatican city, a city state, yet he would not very own it. <> Like I in basic terms stated, Vatican city is a city state - a sovereign us of a. The pope, as a Head of State is entitled to a private physique preserve. that's what the Swiss preserve is. <> returned, Vatican city, being a sovereign us of a, is entitled to confirm to it is very own protection. which potential, between different issues, an intelligence provider. <> No. The pope owns little better than in spite of very own outcomes he's taking with him to Rome, and in spite of presents he gets in his time as pope. <> Do you extreme think of even popes have not got 'needs'? <> What relating to the cardinals and bishops? <> What money are you conversing approximately? How plenty precisely do you think of there is? How do you think of it may be spent? The Vatican isn't what you think of it is. The Vatican's annual budget isn't any larger than that of the city of Chicago; it is not huge - and extremely in many cases runs in the purple by potential of hundreds of thousands. You act as though the Vatican has this super surplus of money, however the certainty the Vatican's budget runs in the purple shows in any different case. the place ever you're getting your information, end it.

Answer 9

Eating the money of the members. Poor members
jtm

Answer 10

You absolutely right. These imposters live lavishly, which is why they can take a vow of poverty. They don't need any money!