"Pope Francis wants 'poor Church for the poor'" - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21812545

Meanwhile, the latest financial report of LD$ Inc. filed with Britain's Charity Commission says that "The actual reserves at 31 December 2011 were £254,416,000[.]" (See p. 14 at http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends51/0000242451_ac_20111231_e_c.pdf ). In USD, that's $392,945,512.

What could LD$ Inc. do with, say, just 5% of its financial reserves in the UK (£12,720,800/$19,647,271)? Provide education, safe water, nutritious food, and healthcare for nearly 42,000 children for a year through a well-established and -respected humanitarian organization.

In July 2012, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that "A study co-written by [Univ. of Tampa professor Ryan] Cragun and recently published in Free Inquiry estimates that the Mormon Church donates only about 0.7 percent of its annual income to charity; the United Methodist Church gives about 29 percent." (See p. 5 at http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-07-10/how-the-mormons-make-money#p5 )

According to the New Testament, didn't Jesus say something about "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also"?

Considering that the man described in the Bible as the son of God was very concerned about the poor and otherwise needy, it's no wonder that Ron Madson, a fifty-seven year-old “lawyer and lifelong Mormon who once served as a church bishop”, quoting the indepth Businessweek article, said:

"Members of our faith are very generous and very sacrificing, very charitable — they pay tithes and fast offerings, and when they see needs, they address those needs. When we see the church not doing the same things it asks the members to do, we recoil. We wonder, is this looking more and more like a corporation and less and less like a church?" (His quote is on p. 5 at the above link.)

LD$ Inc. is not certainly led by the likes of a Pope Francis. Monson can tell all the heart-tugging stories about people in need he likes, but the Morg's financial reports speak far more loudly about what really matters to the senior prie$thood leader$hip of the 'one, true' corp. of Mormonism's Je$u$ Chri$t.

I am really excited about Pope Francis's advocacy for the poor and suffering. To me that is the core of Christianity. It won't get my butt in a pew on Sundays, but I do think that he can be an influence for the good in these areas. He seems like a "lead from the front" type, and is providing a great example of where the Catholic church's priorities should be. I think that this has the potential to be a very interesting papacy.

As I said on another thread, I respect the papacy about as much as Martin Luther did.

However, I am loving the contrast between Francis and Monson so far.

hehehe.....Francis Monson


:-)

That was just pillow talk, baby

Heretic posed the question on PostMo. Here's what Bloomberg Businessweek published online in its slideshow, "The Mormon Global Business Empire":

"Ensign Peak Advisors is an investment fund of the Mormon Church. According to profiles on LinkedIn, managers at Ensign Peak specialize in international equities, cash management, fixed income, quantitative investment, and emerging markets. One of Ensign Peak’s vice presidents in 2006 [Laurence R. Stay] told the Deseret News that 'billions of dollars change hands every day.'”

(Ref. http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/2012-07-11/the-mormon-global-business-empire/11.html)

And here's the 2006 Deseret News report: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650207784/Investors-managers-urged-to-use-ethics.html?pg=all

More damage control coming from the Vatican

My response to the “focus on the poor” is mixed. Lately on multiple news reports we are hearing about the new pope bothering to greet people and think about the poor.

I think it is commendable when anyone does anything for the poor. Whether the motives behind it are selfless and private or public and self aggrandizing is a whole different topic. I’m not questioning the motive of the Pope. I will say that if you are running a religion you should be helping the poor so it is telling that the media is pointing this out.

The problem I see is the complete disregard of the Catholic Church of the ROOT CAUSES of the poverty. Discouraging birth control and not having women as peers in leadership is perpetuating the poverty. Keep women pregnant and they cannot as easily obtain education and become economic drivers in their poverty stricken areas. Encourage overpopulation and resources will be a struggle for the poor.

Poverty stricken areas tend to have higher religiosity so while there are educated Catholics who use birth control and ignore the pope, the poor do not have the same degree of education, access, or religious support limit their family size. Plus they have higher mortality rates for their babies.

It’s kind of the same complaint I had about Mother Teresa. Good intentioned as she was, she was helping to create and maintain the problems she was trying to help.

They have no intention of solving the problems, and in fact are encouraging the exact opposite to make sure the root causes of the problems are not addressed. Like we say around here often, religion in general creates the disease and then presents itself as the solution.

The pope can wander around helping the poor, which is great. However if he really, really wanted to help the poor he would empower women, and sell the Church’s riches to other museums and give the money to the poor. For now we’ll have to be glad he isn’t as big an a$s as the last pope.

Of course Catholic defenders will materialize within minutes to refute anything negative said about the Catholic Church. I feel bad I wasn’t rude enough in this post. Hmmmm….Maybe I can try harder.

One thing that is irritating is the way reporters act like the pope is revered by everyone. “This is the Pope of the People” was reported today for example. Well, I am a person, and he is NOT my pope.

Did you hear Paula Poundstone on NPR today saying the pope rides around in his terrarium? Kind of like the Prom Queen on a float. :-)

I think that you have valid points. I try to correct innaccuracies about the Catholic church, and address questions as I am able to do so, but people are going to have opinions and criticisms of the church -- as do I. Some of the biggest critics of the church are practicing Catholics, and some even bigger critics are the Catholic religious (a key point in why there has never been a Jesuit pope before. The Jesuits tend to have their own opinions about things, and don't always toe the party line.)

I don't see Francis selling off the Pieta or other priceless works of art, but I do think it's clear what his priorities are given the church's income stream. We will all have to wait and see how things unfold.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2013 02:57PM by summer.

Agree.

No one expects Catholics to sell anything. Still the hypocrisy is strong if they want to pretend they value anything Jesus actually taught.

Matthew 19:21
New International Version (NIV)
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Catholics who criticize Mormons for trying to build a business and religious center just look like hypocrites. Mormons could never hope to do that to the extent Catholics have.

Everyone knows that Jesus loves lots of real estate and art! Jesus is into treasures on earth- with pictures of him on them. :-) He was just joking about that part about giving to the poor.

It's unrealistic of us to expect religions to provide anything but religious mecca tourist centers nowadays.That's what people want and encourage. That's what people get for their support and money. To change religious values, people have to quit enabling the unwanted behavior with their feet and wallets, IMO.

Catholics who criticize Mormons? Catholics don't give a rip about Mormons. Most Catholics have no clue who or what Mormons are, much less about how they use their wealth.






dagny Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Agree.
>
> No one expects Catholics to sell anything. Still
> the hypocrisy is strong if they want to pretend
> they value anything Jesus actually taught.
>
> Matthew 19:21
> New International Version (NIV)
> 21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect,
> go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,
> and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,
> follow me.”
>
> Catholics who criticize Mormons for trying to
> build a business and religious center just look
> like hypocrites. Mormons could never hope to do
> that to the extent Catholics have.
>
> Everyone knows that Jesus loves lots of real
> estate and art! Jesus is into treasures on earth-
> with pictures of him on them. :-) He was just
> joking about that part about giving to the poor.
>
> It's unrealistic of us to expect religions to
> provide anything but religious mecca tourist
> centers nowadays.That's what people want and
> encourage. That's what people get for their
> support and money. To change religious values,
> people have to quit enabling the unwanted behavior
> with their feet and wallets, IMO.

I meant the ones who are here on RfM who criticize Mormons.

Not that most Catholics are anywhere as brainwashed- or as socially weird.

But you have to admit the Mormon organization can only dream of having the level of religious bullshitery the Catholic religion pulls off.

I certainly agree most Catholics wouldn't know Mormons from marmots.

Actually it is a modified 'M' Class Mercedes SUV with bulletproof fishbowl on top...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.freewoodpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/popemobile.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.freewoodpost.com/2013/02/28/popemobile-listed-for-sale-on-vatican-craigslist/&h=300&w=416&sz=31&tbnid=16i9yvpXeibrEM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=125&zoom=1&usg=__xtagUlMhor06f50hAIrtY7gT78Y=&docid=fMhdEkJ3fuEcTM&sa=X&ei=mEhGUd6XEMjpqAH-24HoBg&ved=0CFYQ9QEwBg&dur=234

I think it will be interesting to see if there is a house cleaning. There IS a new sherrif in town.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21813874

Minutes after the election result was declared in the Sistine Chapel, a Vatican official called the Master of Ceremonies offered to the new Pope the traditional papal red cape trimmed with ermine that his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI gladly wore on ceremonial occasions.

"No thank you, Monsignore," Pope Francis is reported to have replied. "You put it on instead. Carnival time is over!"

It was just one small sign out of many this week that as Massimo Franco, one of Italy's shrewdest political editorial writers, commented in the Corriere Della Sera, "the era of the Pope-King and of the Vatican court is over".

Pope Francis was known to use public transport in Buenos Aires

You only had to look at the shocked faces of many of the courtiers when they suddenly realised the significance of what had happened and understood that it really was over.

Another moment of truth occurred when Pope Francis broke the seals of the Papal Apartment in the Apostolic Palace to take possession of his new home. Vatican officials genuflected and bowed as Archbishop George Gaenswein, secretary of the now retired Pope Benedict but still master of the papal household, searched for the light switch while the Pope stood motionless for a moment, outlined in the dark, surveying the scene.

"There's room for 300 people here," he's reported to have remarked. "I don't need all this space

Pope Francis does an old Catholic blessing of kissing feet; symbolizing Christ humbly serving others by washing their feet. I would love to see Profit Monsoon do such an act.

Monson is scum, but, at least he didn't cooperate with government death squads that stole people's babies and sell them to his buddies.

I am no more impressed with Francis than I was with Benedict, or any of the other puppets...

John_Lyle Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Monson is scum, but, at least he didn't cooperate
> with government death squads that stole people's
> babies and sell them to his buddies.
>
> I am no more impressed with Francis than I was
> with Benedict, or any of the other puppets...


Yes please Oh knowledgable one, cite your sources. I can hardly wait.

Yes,let,'s condemn the guy based on disputed and unproved accusations.How about waiting for the facts to.come out?