"An Unholy Mess"

The average Catholic parishioners love God and are looking for a faith community that is caring and supportive. They are looking for meaningful prayer that offers encouragement and spiritual growth. Although it might be considered “good stewardship”, they never really know what happens to the money that goes into the collection basket and to special appeals. They simply trust that Father knows best and the Bishop knows better. What a recent article in the Economist suggests is that across the country, finances in many parishes, dioceses, and church organizations are an “Unholy Mess”. There is little transparent accountability at any level, even the highest.

Any reigning bishop of a diocese can close a parish virtually on a whim and use all funds in a discretionary manner. And it has happened more often than one might think. Bishop Lennon of Cleveland has himself “suppressed” at least a couple dozen parishes and used their assets for other projects, possibly including sexual-abuse payouts.

This photo shows a tip of the hat from the one man who “owns” more property in Manhattan than Donald Trump could ever dream of.    This is because Cardinal Dolan is the “corporate sole” of the New York Diocese.

The full article can be found at http://www.economist.com/node/21560536