God mammon and carelessness

Last week's Der Spiegel magazine carries a four page article on money issues within the Catholic Church in Germany. The article is alarming and most worrying.

It begins with the reporting of two priests, who are involved in personal scams and then moves on to the vast financial portfolio of the church in Germany. Its underlying tone is the arrogance of church officials and the disconnect of many of them from 'reality'.

Reading the article one is forced to think about current developing trends within the church in Ireland.

Is it inevitable that when people do not have to work for their living that they lose touch with what it means to buy a loaf of bread? In this current economic crisis is the institutional clerical church feeling any pain or discomfort?

And then the latest news coming from Rome that the Vatican has a property portfolio of €9 million in the city.

In a parish in a diocese in Ireland there is an appeal for funds to rehabilitate a wall in a church that has given trouble since renovations some few years ago. The problem has happened because of clerical mismanagement and simple laziness and sloppiness - not being present, off on holiday, etc. And now the parish/diocese has simply gone to the people asking for funds to correct the error. It is yet another example of breathtaking arrogance. And what is most worrying is that there has not been a word of criticism from a single member of church personnel in the diocese. The spin on the story is shocking.

And that story probably replicated right across the country.