How did the pope get so rich?

Question

"The Catholic church is the biggest financial power, wealth accumulator and property owner in existence. She is a greater possessor of material riches than any other single institution, corporation, bank, giant trust, government or state of the whole globe. The pope, as the visible ruler of this immense amassment of wealth, is consequently the richest individual of the twentieth century. No one can realistically assess how much he is worth in terms of billions of dollars." http://www.chick.com/reading/books/153/153_10.asp


Where did this massive fortune come from? How did he make it?

Answer 1

Research the Dark Ages and the Holy Roman Empire. It's truly amazing how much wealth and power they had back then just with threatening excommunication. Got all kinds of donations, taxes, etc. At this point, they basically just have a savings account that's about 900 yrs. old and just accruing wealth.. on top of random donations they still get because tithing is an accepted practice. Also, many current governments have no choice but to acknowledge their old holdings because the church still holds significant power, especially in Europe and central america. On another note, they don't really spend money either. They usually get governments or people to "donate" to any cause. What should really bother you is that the current pope has "reminded the Jesuits of their vow to papal decree". Meaning if he wanted, he could probably recruit an army almost instantly.

Answer 2

Please cite the responsible documents or provide links to these claims so that the rest of us can do proper research. Thank you.

I'm sorry but I cannot take anything that Chick Publications says seriously.

If we were to believe all that Chick Publications claim then we would believe the the Catholic Church:
+ Started Islam
+ Instigated the American Civil War
+ Assassinated Abraham Lincoln
+ Formed the Ku Klux Klan
+ Was responsible for the Inquisition known as the WWII Jewish Holocaust
+ Keeps every Christian's name in a computer in order to make persecution easier

Here is a detailed rebuttal to Chick's tracks: http://www.catholic.com/library/sr_chick_tracts_p1.asp

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

The organisation of the Catholic church is the one that 'owns' it all. The Pope probably has nothing in his own personal name. But he gets to use it all. He never has to worry about any accounts or whether or not he will eat that day. Everything is done for him.
On that basis, he IS the richest man in the world.
Even Bill Gates has to write the odd cheque.

Answer 4

anything from that chick nonsense is garbage.

the VATICAN (not the pope) has amassed funds by the donations of it's members. it has been around for hundreds of years and accumulated much land. no one in the ri right mind thinks the pope has anything personally to do with the funds.

does your link show how much they give to caring for the poor, aged, sick, etc?
does your link offer someone who will buy the sistine chapel cieling (or other work of art) and allow the entire world to come view it?

Answer 5

The Roman Catholic church , though large in stature is wrong in accumilating wealth, they should be helping the poor and spreading the money to help those who are more needy, not setting up a financial power house. People give money to the pope and Catholic church, because the church basically brainwashes them that if you give, you will go to heaven because of your giving, but the only way is through Christ which they do not teach, they teach works.

Answer 6

the catholic church has amassed wealth and power since it was formed. much of it was 'donated' some of it was seized by kings and giving to the church. at any rate the church has been growing wealth for centuries.

Answer 7

They Catholic Church gives more to the poor than all of the protestant denominations put together fact not fiction Instead of stealing from the poor such as the protestant TV preachers or should I say thieves.

Answer 8

The Queen has more personal wealth than the Pope.

Answer 9

Donations, selling fabricated relics, selling indulgence and good management.

Answer 10

Perhaps he worked hard doing extra shifts at McDonalds like the rest of us -- ... OR ..perhaps extorting money from followers in exchange for spiritual services and favors could be the answer.