“Money is the dung of the devil.” Pope Francis 09/20/2–13

We were watching a show on Al Jazeera America TV called “Holy Money”. The documentary explores “the financial scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church and the efforts of the new Pope to clean up its multi-billion-dollar business dealings amid allegations of money laundering, corruption and embezzlement of funds.” The quote above comes from this film.

The Roman Catholic Church is rich beyond what we could imagine. “Blessed are the Poor” does not apply to the institutional Church. The gap between what we say and believe, the Gospel values, and the wealth of the Church and how it uses its money and power is overwhelming. To his credit the present Pope is trying to do something in his words and symbolic gestures. The real question is can he make institutional change.

Money and how to use it is at the heart of most social ills, even in the conflict with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. When I started to research were the money is coming from and where it is going in the Milwaukee Society the few got really upset and had two of us suspended by the National Office of St. Vincent de Paul. Now the same few are taking this suspension that they imposed on me to threaten me that if I try to participate local St. Vincent de Paul they will “use all means available” to stop me. They need be afraid of me but should be concerned about all the monies of the poor they have wasted. It is an independent audit that they are afraid of, not so much for what they are doing with money belonging to poor being illegal, but it being immoral.

It is very hard for the ‘rich’ to be in the Kingdom of God on earth. With money come power, glory and often greed. With money comes the feeling of ‘exceptionalism’ or arrogance of the rich toward the poor.

Again on news on TV tonight they uprisings over the failure to indict the white police officer in Ferguson were featured. The president and “TV talking heads” say people should vote and take other constructive efforts for change. They fail to see or use the word that is the heart of anger and frustration, racism.

It is not community and police relations that are the problem. It is money, the dung of the devil that feeds the racism of this country. Until as a city or country we admit it, we are a racist nation, the conflicts of races and culture will continue to happen.

Money feeds racism. Stopping the greed of the few in this country will be a first step in solving the growing divide between races, poor and rich.

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