catholic church organization

Hi all,

I need to know for a school project about wealthy companys and what not. And I allways figured that the total value of the all the catholic churches assets and money tops that of any other corporation on earth. Is this true? Do they have more money than say shell? Please let me know and figures only, no stupid remarks.

Thanks in advance

Debatable. While the Church was a billion dollar ($17.7 billion in 2002) organization, the funds have been depleted due to the deflating US dollar (which many of their followers pay donations with), sex abuse settlements (atleast $840 million in US and Ireland), and growing diplomatic and humanitarian efforts. In fact, some dioceses have been forced to declare bankruptcy.

However, the Catholic Churches in Europe are arguably the most elaborate and ostentatious houses of wealth. Many of them contain original art works by artists such as Michaelangelo and Carvaggio - works that would would be auctioned off for millions today - and statues made from gold or silver. Their wealth also includes immense lands and real estate investments.

2008-05-29 09:31:54 by evocatae

The purpose of this video is to help Protestant Christians and others develop a better understanding of the Roman Catholic Church, its history and ...

I have heard this at work.
The bible says to worship God in truth and spirit.

The Catholic Church IS a political organization; a very powerful one with hundreds of millions of members who pay dues, in the form of donations, to get the leaders of the church to promote their agenda and get others to join.

2008-10-05 15:30:37 by Grayghost

Price: $34.95 $22.60

It has come to my attention that the Catholic Relief group just received a $6.2 million dollar grant for AIDS. Are they really going to hand out condoms to those that need them? What is up with this?

I suspect they are using the money to treat people who already have the disease. In other words, the money is for medicine, clinics, support help, food and other related needs.

2006-01-29 12:54:46 by howlincoyote

Price: $19.95

School question, any help would be GREAT! :)

The organization of the Roman Catholic Church is based very closely on the civil organization of the later Roman Empire. At the top there is, of course, the Pope who, it could be argued, is analogous to the Emperor. Don't forget that until Christianity became the official religion of the Empire the Emperor was a deity (I'm not suggesting the Pope is) and the leader of religion. Then the Church is organized into dioceses, districts or areas under the control of a bishop (or archbishop). This was taken over from the way the Empire was divided up - and I can do little better than to quote from the Catholic Encyclopedia:-

'Originally the term diocese (Gr. dioikesis) signified management of a household, thence administration or government in general. This term was soon used in Roman law to designate the territory dependent for its administration upon a city (civitas). What in Latin was called ager, or territorium, namely a district subject to a city, was habitually known in the Roman East as a diœcesis. But as the Christian bishop generally resided in a civitas, the territory administered by him, being usually conterminous with the juridical territory of the city, came to be known ecclesiastically by its usual civil term, diocese. This name was also given to the administrative subdivision of some provinces ruled by legates (legati) under the authority of the governor of the province. Finally, Diocletian designated by this name the twelve great divisions which he established in the empire, and over each of which he placed a vicarius'

The last word is interesting also for under the bishop are the priests, or vicars, in charge of individual parishes. And I quote again from the Encyclopedia:-

'In canon law, the representative of a person clothed with ordinary ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The office of vicar was in use among the ancient Romans, that being the title of officials subordinate to the praetorian prefects. In the ecclesiastical forum, from very early times, we read of vicars of the Apostolic See, such as the archbishops of Thessalonica. Bishops also had their vicars, such as the archdeacons and archpriests, and likewise the rural priest, who, in the first ages, had the cure of souls outside of episcopal cities. In course of time, all of these officials became part of the ordinary magistracy of the Church. '

2009-02-11 23:59:48 by rcasays

Seems to be.

2010-04-05 11:07:15 by Reverend Arr