I have learned that people have a lot of misconceptions about the Catholic Church and money. For example, I've met a lot of people who think that our local diocese and parish receive money from the Vatican. (Ha!)
Many people don't understand that the money we tithe, at the level of our own parish, goes to support the operations of our own parish, and sometimes the diocese, and sometimes the Vatican! This is why many parishes in the USA have had to make many cuts of staff, ministries, and other resources in recent years. When the economy turned downward, people lost jobs. When people lose jobs, they stop tithing. (Well, those who were actually giving to the Church in the first place. Although I've noticed that sometimes people with very little give a great deal of what they have to the Church.) And when people stop tithing, the Vatican doesn't just send a bucket of gold overseas. Nope. The parish just has less money to operate, plain and simple.
In any case, I personally don't really care that much about the Vatican's money, but since a lot of people seem to, here's a little article on the financial statements of the Holy See for 2010. I found it to be a bit of a snoozer, truth be told, but I hope someone enjoys it!
Hope you all had a happy 4th of July! As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.
Peace and all good,
Leslie
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