I just read this story and I find it appalling. The Vatican has such riches and yet they are turning out these women who have given their lives to the Church to pay for the sins that others committed. This is atrocious! Your opinions?
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-nuns7sep07,0,1506149.story
2007-09-12 09:17:30 · 18 answers · asked by ZombieTrix 2012 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
CJ, I'm sorry.... are you... GOD? No? Then you don't get to say who is saved and who isn't.
2007-09-12 09:24:06 · update #1
angelpurplewings, I just sent the article to a friend of mine who is a nun in Bolivia (Yes, agnostic witch creatrix has a nun friend). I saw two of the nuns are from couth & central America... maybe they would be helpful in Bolivia. I don't know how any of that works, but I hope they gat taken in somewhere.
2007-09-12 09:28:12 · update #2
Okay, guys... when I said "pay for the sins," I meant LITERALLY PAY for the sins. The money for the sale of their home is to go towards the settlement over the priest sex abuse. PAY. As in PROVIDE MONEY FOR.
2007-09-12 09:44:00 · update #3
Sad....very sad....BUT:
As a former nun I understand.
We ALL pay for the sins of others -- always!
Shoplifters = higher prices & more items tucked behind counters
Medicaid fraud = higher prices and longer waits in emergency rooms
Enron = countless with no retirement funds
The list is endless.
We are still paying for the Boston Tea Party and the sin of Adam & Eve!
How many of YOU have had to pay -- one way or other -- for your kid's mistakes?
The house does not belong to the sisters. I'd say they should rejoice that they've been able to live there rent-free for so many years! They will survive. They've probably told countless others through the years that "when God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window". This is exactly what happens when one gets too attached to possessions -- or even something that one was never really the owner of! The sisters need to make a declaration of faith that they are giving up this house for love of God -- the same God who called them to that ministry rent free for years! Let them offer it up in love and all the pain with it -- he will never be outdone in generosity!
2007-09-12 09:53:33 · answer #1 · answered by The Carmelite 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Appalling is right. The terms repugnant and oppressive come to mind, too. And, it's the priests' sins, right? The ones who preyed on innocent children. The church needs the money to pay off lawsuits against the predators. Just like any other big, heartless business. The bosses aren't going to be the ones who suffer, but those who are farther down the pecking order. I wonder what the Pope thinks about it. I'm pretty sure Jesus wouldn't like it - religious leaders taking advantage of others. Not cool. I'm not Catholic, but if I was I'd be about ready to go elsewhere. I'd sure quit giving them money.
2007-09-12 16:40:25 · answer #2 · answered by alikij 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, this is very sad and tragic, but this is the archdiocese that we are speaking of, not the Vatican. Each parish and diocese is financially independent of others. The parish supports the diocese and the Vatican. Diocese do not support each other financially.
The Vatican treasures are held in trust for the worldwide public. The Vatican is as much a museum as it is a city. Selling the treasures of the Vatican would be like selling the Liberty bell to pay for the war in Iraq.
2007-09-12 16:33:37 · answer #3 · answered by Sldgman 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The Los Angelos diocese got taken to the cleaners, partly because they didn't follow Jesus' directions about the millstone for molestation, and partly because of slick lawyers who sued the diocese rather than the actual molesters.
FYI, the Vatican is not rich. It usually runs a deficit of $10-20 million dollars a year (see link below). And no, the Pieta is not for sale.
Cheers,
Bruce
2007-09-12 16:42:58 · answer #4 · answered by Bruce 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you think this is appalling, you should read up on the history of the Catholic church with regards to its treatment of women. For example, in London there is a famous old prison not far from Shakespeare's Globe Theater called "the clink." Tourists can still visit. The Clink jail was set up by a Catholic archbishop of London as a place to imprison the women who weren't working hard enough in the archbishop's brothels. That's right. The Catholic church ran the prostitution houses along the London waterfront to fill the archbishop's treasury, and the women who didn't "put their back into it" for the church were sent to prison.
Yes, this is sad. But nothing compared to the suffering caused by the Catholic priests who abused little children.
2007-09-12 16:36:09 · answer #5 · answered by buddhamonkeyboy 4 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Sadly, Cardinal Mahoney is at the root of this. However, we do not petition our "leaders". The Bishops are shepherds of their own flocks. If we petition, we tend mainly to present our grievances to Christ through prayers. Occasionally, we will go to Rome, but there is nothing "illegal" going on here.
FWIW, I don't like it, but the orthodox are used to suffering under the more "progressive" elements of the Church.
They have a dreadful "cathedral" that was just built. The land alone is worth 1 mil...
2007-09-12 23:42:47 · answer #6 · answered by SigGirl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It *is* appalling, but it wasn't the Vatican's decision. This decision was made by the local ordinary (Archbishop), and I think he either (a) made a HUGE mistake based on economics instead of ministry or (b) he already knows he has a philanthropic person who will buy the building and keep the sisters there.
I do think it's downright awful to toss the sisters out and deprive the downtrodden of their ministry because of the crimes of others.
2007-09-12 16:28:45 · answer #7 · answered by sparki777 7 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Are you really serious? The Archdiocese of LA is about to go bankrupt to take care of these wounded abused people, and they are asking some ladies to move.
Yes it would have been nice for them to live out thier days in the convent they know and love, but when you are broke you have to adapt. I have done it.
2007-09-12 18:52:02 · answer #8 · answered by Makemeaspark 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Wow that sucks these women have worked to help the poor and now they ARE the poor just because some priests are perverts that's NOT FAIR!
2007-09-12 16:30:08 · answer #9 · answered by Smee 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You know, somehow I don't think they care. I think they'd rather let "god" take care of these poor people (i.e. make them leave the home and community they've worked so hard for and in for so many years). Better to make someone else (less high profile, less recognized, less able to defend themselves) pay for someone else's actions than for the holiest of holies to pay for someone else's actions.
2007-09-12 16:42:19 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋