Catholic Church and the Pope?

Question

If the Catholic church makes nuns and Priests give up their belongings to live like Jesus did, than why doesn't the Pope have to do the same thing. Can anyone live a more luxurious life than the Pope? Don't Catholics see the hypocrisy of this. They guy wears $500 shoes for christ sake!!

I understand that the Pope does not own these things. However he surely uses them at his will. Something tells me that the $500 shoes are indeed his. He does not live like Jesus lived. Why is he above him? Why are Catholic churches closing all over the USA when the Pope lives in the lap of luxury. I know that devout Catholics are blind to facts, but can't you see the Irony here?

Also I could care less about Royalty.

Answer 1

Ah, but the Pope doesn't actually own the shoes. They're actually the Church's $500 fabulous red shoes. The Church just happens to let the Pope use the shoes whenever he wants, and keep them in his closet.

Same with his house, and servants, and Pope-mobile and all the artwork and fancy dinners - all the Church, not the Pope's.

It's kind of like the multi-billionaire type dude who officially pays himself $1 a year salary, but the 'Company' lets him live in their giant mansion, and fly around in a company lear jet.

It might work for tax purposes, but no one else is fooled.

Answer 2

What is your evidence that the Pope's shoes are worth $500? I'm afraid you're making an assumption there, not stating a known fact.

While nuns take vows of poverty, not all priests do -- only those who belong to religious orders such as the Franciscans.

Most priests are not members of religious orders, though --- most are diocesan priests, which means they are not required to take vows of poverty. Most of them live pretty simply, though.

The Pope, as Bishop of Rome, does not take a formal vow of poverty -- although he is not exactly living a luxurious life, when compared to other people with high-profile positions such as his.

There's no evidence that the current Pope, or any of his recent predecessors, misuses the Church's finances for personal gain or anything like that. There's no evidence that he "skims off the top" or uses the Church's resources to enrich himself personally.

So, because of that, there's no hypocrisy there.

Officially, the Pope receives no salary. His basic needs are provided for, including food and housing and transportation and so on. But this is the case with priests and nuns too. So there's really no difference there.

The Pope lives in an apartment in the Vatican which, by all accounts, is nothing terribly fancy -- certainly not when compared to the "pads" of other heads of state around the world. The Pope, as you know, is a head of state as well as head of the Church.

I'm Catholic and, no, I see no hypocrisy in this at all.

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Answer 3

Not all priests and nuns take a vow of poverty. It depends on the religious order they belong to. Some priests and nuns have possessions from before they became priests and nuns and some have possessions that are gifts given to them.

Regarding the Pope, did you know that he recently auctioned off his car on ebay because he did not need it anymore?

What about the hypocrisy of televangelists who have their own jet airplanes and multimillion dollar mansions? They probalby live a much more luxurious life than the Pope.

Answer 4

The shoes were a gift. Ordered priests take a vow of poverty and secular priests do not. John Paul II went to the grave with NOTHING and this Pope will go to his grave with NOTHING. It is our wealth so why concern yourself? We adorn our Church, the Church of Christ, because He is the King of all that is seen and unseen. Is it necessary? No. Mass can be said on the hood of a jeep in the heat of battle, the garbage dumps of Mexico City, or in prisons. We choose to provide an appropriate environment for a KING where possible. He is our Master! Our Love! Our Hope!

By the way, Catholic Charities gives more to help the disadvantaged than ANY other organization on the planet. More than the U.N. in many cases.

Answer 5

C'mon, you know better then that, the Vatican does not belong to the Pope. He has the bare minimum. The pair of shoes he's wearing may cost $500.00 in USA but it's common shoes if you live in Italy. The Pope does not have any property and and live a very simple life. They use to reprehend Pope John Paul II cause he would eat like a poor peasant.

Answer 6

All people who enter religious life do so voluntarily and after much discernment. No one makes men or women do anything before they take their vows.

There are two types of Catholic religious life:

+ A "religious" priest or brother or sister (nun) 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 7

The Roman Catholic Church's account of papal historic past has benefited from very lots of modifying. i could motivate you to find a e book approximately papal historic past that replaced into written via a historian, not a Catholic. At quite a few cases, there replaced into extra desirable than one pope. as quickly as, there have been 3. (you are able to seek for suggestion on the Avignon Papacy and Pope city VI.) some historic documents instruct that the two popes tried to have one yet another killed, or a minimum of dragged via the streets and overwhelmed, or imprisoned or poisoned. that is an unbroken line? additionally, most of the popes have been chosen via the Holy Roman Emperor, for political reasons. some have been chosen via the King of France. Pope Sergius II is declared to have had a concubine and replaced into the father of Pope John XI via her. (to not be at a loss for words with Pope Hormisdas, who replaced into married and widowed formerly starting to be pope, and fathered Pope St. Silverius.) i could very lots motivate you to verify some books approximately this concern. as quickly as you start up finding into those products, you would be surprised via how lots the RC Church isn't telling you.

Answer 8

The Pope lives in a modest apartment, and owns nothing, not even the clothing he wears. The average priest has more personal belongings than the Pope does. And you have far more luxury then the average priest. Ever read about the splinter in your brother's eye??

Answer 9

The vows that monks and nuns take are of their own choosing. They have a totally different mission than the pope. Their mission is a life of poverty and prayer (and sometimes solitude).

By the way, the Church owns those things, not the Pope. And the Church gives more money to the poor and oppressed than any organizaiton in the world

Does it bother you that the Queen of England is given regal and expensive things to wear? Don't you think her people do this to show her honor and respect?

Answer 10

But the Catholic church does NOT make priests, nuns, or other members of religious orders give up their belongings. Different orders have different vows regarding poverty, and each has a different philosophy for carrying them out.

As for the Pope, that stuff doesn't belong TO him. No one in his family can claim any of it as inheritence after his death. In the strictest sense, the stuff belongs to the Catholic Church in the entity of the Diocese of Rome. (At least, I'm pretty sure that's how it works legally.)