The Pope Wears Prada?

[UnityNow101]

I like the Pope but believe this to be in bad taste. I guess it is his choice in what he wears, but he is an example to Christians around the world. I would like to believe that he has renounced the worldly worries and concerns such as what one should wear, but I guess he has not. If he is concerned about another clothing maker simply because they made his robe a bit too small, there is something wrong with that. We should not worry about what we wear but should always remain focused on the spiritual things which actually matter. I would rather the Pope wear a simple, unfitting robe than an elegant one lined with gold made by Gucci. That is just my take.

 

[nutshell]

Don't kill the messenger.

 

[Smoke]

The Pope does not receive any salary at all.

Neither does the President of the LDS Church. You don't always have to be a millionaire to live like one.

Honestly, madhatter, your OP seems to be more of a rant because il papa dares not to buy his shoes at Wal-Mart than any sort of reasoned critique of the use of church funds.

If he bought them at Wal-Mart, that would both me more. Don't get me started on Wal-Mart.

I don't care much for Benedict XVI, but I don't care much for Cardinal O'Malley, either -- and he goes around in sandals. The shoes don't seem to have much to do with it.

As far as I know, Benedict is a secular priest (that is, he's not a monk) and is not subject to any vow of poverty.

 

[jonny]

Of course our clergy do not get paid, but I'm not sure if the prophet's/apostles that need the help are actually getting in through the welfare system, although I'm sure one of the other LDS'ers while either confirm or deny my guess.

I think they make most of their money by sitting on the boards of Church-owned corporations and publishing books. I don't think they're getting their food and clothing from the local D.I.

 

[jonny]

I don't think I ever met a member of any Christian clergy who had to work a 9-5 job to live.

You haven't met him, but my dad was a Bishop for five years and didn't receive a dime for his service. He worked a 9 to 5 job the entire time as a director at a company most of you have probably heard of.

 

[jonny]

this is false, our church leaders are not paid, we do not use "Tithing" to pay them, thier "Allowance" comes from the church's own investments, not from the people.
We do not shove a hat, or basket, or plate under your nose to guilt you into paying tithing, it's a completely voluntary thing.

"The Church" is the largest employer in Utah. A lot of these wages and salaries are paid for by members of the church. Not every position in the church is filled by volunteers. I had an aunt who was a secretary to multiple Apostles and she was paid for her services. Seminary teachers, BYU employees, church administration (computer dudes, lawyers, accountants, secretaries, janators, construction workers, architects, etc.) are all paid positions in the church. Unfortunately, there are not enough old retired couples to do everything that needs to be done. Maybe when the baby boomers start retiring...

 

[madhatter85]

"The Church" is the largest employer in Utah. A lot of these wages and salaries are paid for by members of the church. Not every position in the church is filled by volunteers. I had an aunt who was a secretary to multiple Apostles and she was paid for her services. Seminary teachers, BYU employees, church administration (computer dudes, lawyers, accountants, secretaries, janators, construction workers, architects, etc.) are all paid positions in the church. Unfortunately, there are not enough old retired couples to do everything that needs to be done. Maybe when the baby boomers start retiring...

I was only saying the church does not have any paid CLERGY, of course there are administrative things to be done within any organization and that is fine, but i'm talking about the church leaders.

 

[Smoke]

I was only saying the church does not have any paid CLERGY, of course there are administrative things to be done within any organization and that is fine, but i'm talking about the church leaders.

It would be very nice to be unpaid the way Hinckley is unpaid. If one has the use of a million-dollar condo, a generous living allowance, a clothing allowance, a travel allowance, benefits like health insurance, and the use of church credit cards, it tends to take much of the sting out of being unpaid.

 

[Booko]

If he bought them at Wal-Mart, that would both me more. Don't get me started on Wal-Mart.

Nor me. We could start the Wal-Mart rant thread. bwa ha ha!

I don't care much for Benedict XVI, but I don't care much for Cardinal O'Malley, either -- and he goes around in sandals. The shoes don't seem to have much to do with it.

I would think actions are more important than the shoes, eh?

I suppose it's easier to pick on shoes. It doesn't require a lot of reading up on subjects.

As far as I know, Benedict is a secular priest (that is, he's not a monk) and is not subject to any vow of poverty.

Yes, I believe that is correct.

 

[lunamoth]

I have not read Newsweek in a while but I am disappointed they are running this kind of tabloid junk these days.

 

[FFH]

It would be very nice to be unpaid the way Hinckley is unpaid. If one has the use of a million-dollar condo, a generous living allowance, a clothing allowance, a travel allowance, benefits like health insurance, and the use of church credit cards, it tends to take much of the sting out of being unpaid.

Yeah, he gets paid...

They're well taken care of for sure..

 

[jonny]

It would be very nice to be unpaid the way Hinckley is unpaid. If one has the use of a million-dollar condo, a generous living allowance, a clothing allowance, a travel allowance, benefits like health insurance, and the use of church credit cards, it tends to take much of the sting out of being unpaid.

I highly doubt that Hinckley's condo is worth a million dollars. I doubt there is a million dollar condo in Salt Lake period. It could be, but it really wouldn't matter. The building is owned by the church and was owned by the church before Hinckley became prophet. He lives across the street from the church headquarters. It's not like it is his property.

I don't know how generous his living allowance is. From people I know who have tried to get money for different projects from the church, I know he's pretty careful about how he spends the church's money. The church just recently got computers that could run Windows. As recently as four years ago, they were still using MS-DOS to keep track of membership and financial records. I heard the head of the church's IT department talk about it once and he said that when he went to President Hinckley to see if he could update the church's computer systems, President Hinckley asked him how much it would cost. When he was told the dollars, President Hinckley asked him how many temples that would cost the church. This shows me that Hinckley's priorities are pretty clear.

I would guess that he makes most of his money from writing books: DeseretBook.com -- Gordon B. Hinckley

He had at least one book on the New York Times bestseller list: DeseretBook.com - Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes

 

[jonny]

I was only saying the church does not have any paid CLERGY, of course there are administrative things to be done within any organization and that is fine, but i'm talking about the church leaders.

I don't think all of them need a living allowance, but I'm sure the church helps if needed.