A Church that is Poor

by Editor · May 20, 2015

For all the financial reforms which Pope Francis is instituting, all his calls for greater simplicity, and all his engagement for the poor of the world, the critics of the Church will continue to perceive the institution as being beset by corruption and hypocrisy, not always fairly.

St Peter's, Bernini's colonnade and Maderno's fountain by Jean-Pol Grandmont Licensed via Wikimedia Commons

St Peter’s, Bernini’s colonnade and Maderno’s fountain by Jean-Pol Grandmont. (Photo: Licensed via Wikimedia Commons)

Of course, it is legitimate to interrogate whether the financial reforms that are being instituted go far enough (or, as some within the Roman curia aver, too far), and to examine the levels of accountability and transparency regarding past instances of financial mismanagement by Church officials in the Vatican.

There is no denying that even until recently, the Vatican was the setting for cases of fiscal irresponsibility�and, in at least one instance, illegal activity. Over the years Vatican officials neglected to take strong action against this.

Indeed, when Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigan�, then�secretary general of the Vatican City Governatorate, raised the issue, he was summarily transferred to the nunciature in Washington � a hollow promotion he did not want.

There were those in the Vatican who saw financial shenanigans and were dismayed by them. Many believe that the papal butler, Paolo Gabriele, who leaked confidential documents to the press, did not act alone.

The so-called VatiLeaks and the concerns these raised motivated the cardinals in the conclave of 2013 to mandate the new pope to institute reforms of the curia, including and especially in the area of finance.

Pope Francis has acted decisively in meeting that mandate. For that welcome progress, the Church owes Mr Gabriele a vote of gratitude, even if in blowing the whistle he broke the law, for which he was convicted (and later pardoned by Pope Benedict XVI).

The actions of Pope Francis should also find an echo in dioceses and parishes that are falling short in their fiscal responsibilities.

Since the funds of dioceses and parishes are dependent on the money the faithful give the Church through planned giving, collections at Mass and other forms of donation, they have the right to be fully accounted to.

And yet, even when the concerns about curial corruption and the Vatican Bank are resolved, and when the abundance of silk and lace has diminished, the Church�s critics will still pull their trump card: why, they�ll demand, does the Vatican not sell off all its fabulous wealth to help the poor?

If these artworks were to be sold, they might go unto private ownership and thus out of reach for the public.

More importantly, selling off its patrimony � all its art, its real estate, investment and gold reserves � would leave the Church fiscally unsustainable and its future uncertain.

Especially without the treasures in the basilicas of Rome and in the Vatican Museums, the Holy See would raise very little revenue. The Vatican�s treasures are its lifeblood.

It must also be noted that the Catholic Church is active on the ground to alleviate poverty around the world, even in remote areas where Catholics, or even Christians, are in a minority. In many regions, even in South Africa, healthcare and education systems would collapse if Catholic agencies were to withdraw.

It is therefore not true, and even a calumny, to claim that the Catholic Church fails to serve the needs of the poor.

At the same time, Pope Francis� call for a poor Church must be heeded.

By this the pope does not mean that the Church must divest itself of all material possessions. What the pope wants is a Church that is rooted in humility, in total submission to Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI’s personal assistant, Paolo Gabriele, seated in front left, arrives with the pope in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters)

The call for a poor Church does not require the parish priest to trade his automobile for a donkey-cart, for he needs reliable transport to perform his ministry. But to do so he does not need a luxury sedan.

Likewise, the celebration of the Eucharist does not require ostentatious vestments. Humility is not expressed in opulent chasubles, never mind the magna cappa.

The Church which Pope Francis seeks therefore does not need to wear ashes and sackcloth, but it must be financially reproachless and present itself to the world with material simplicity.