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As a catholic I understand that you may not want to cooperate but calling it a 'multi-billion dollar outfit' is really off the mark by eons. But you are entitl

As a catholic I understand that you may not want to cooperate but calling it a 'multi-billion dollar outfit' is really off the mark by eons. But you are entitled to your own opinions. Not that they are necessarily right.

JoeAltmaier 12y ago
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060715051049AAJwh7u https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060715051049A... Their US investments alone are worth a half-billion. Not so far off the mark.
- excitom 12y ago
  Citing Yahoo Answers as a source? Whoa.
  - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
    Well, citing a quote from an authority presented in a Yahoo Answer. Ok, I googled again for you. Here's an expert from Georgetown U quoted in a Google Answer: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=54617 http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=54617
    - ceejayoz 12y ago
      The "authority" quoted in the Yahoo Answers thread is Jack Chick, who's rapidly anti-Catholic (see http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractByKeyword.asp?Subject=Catholicism http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractByKeyword.asp?Subject=Cath...), claims Dungeons and Dragons involves true demon worship, etc. - he's pretty much anti-anything that isn't hard-core fundamentalist Christianity. The Vatican is certainly wealthy, but Yahoo Answers should never be used as a "see? evidence!" item.
  - Karunamon 12y ago
    Attacking the source? Weak.
    - ceejayoz 12y ago
      The source cites Jack Chick as the evidence. He's a lunatic, not just on Catholicism. http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractByKeyword.asp?Subject=Catholicism http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractByKeyword.asp?Subject=Cath...
      - Karunamon 12y ago
        Which means grains of salt and skepticism, not outright discarding. Truth stands on its own regardless of the speaker. Otherwise it's ad hominem. This is not a scientific journal. There is no such thing as an "invalid source", there are only things that are true and things that are not, plain and simple. The lengths people will go to in order to avoid validating a piece of data is truly staggering.. And look? Turns out, he was right.
        ceejayoz 12y ago
        A source like Chick is invalid, plain and simple. It's like asking Hitler about Jews - some of what he says might be accurate, but you're not going to cite him ever on it. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,00.html http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,... says the Vatican's wealth is $10-15 billion. I suspect their total net worth is hard to calculate given that much of what they have is priceless - it'd be hard to put a price tag on St. Peter's Basilica.
        JoeAltmaier 12y ago
        There, was that so hard? Googling 'Vatican net worth' and choosing any of several substantially-agreeing links. Sorry I picked the wrong one, but the conclusion is the same: the Vatican is a multi-billion dollar operation.
        12y ago
- boblozano 12y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_T._Chick http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_T._Chick You are quoting a guy with a life-long, emotional animus - nobody should confuse his assertions with facts.
  - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
    Sorry! Didn't know that guy. But I provided a Georgetown U reference as well. It substantially agrees with the estimates of size. So Mr. Chick may have accidentally got something right.
- JackFr 12y ago
  I like that the Chick quote references investments in at least 7 companies which no longer exist, at least 2 of which went bankrupt. The information does not seem current.
kyro 12y ago
> Bankers' best guesses about the Vatican's wealth put it at $10 billion to $15 billion. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,00.html http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,...
- bane 12y ago
  So .5 to .8 WhatsApps?
- apaprocki 12y ago
  In my mind, I wonder if you could draw mental comparisons between the Catholic church and universities. Both use an endowment to further their goals, expansion, charity, but there is a implicit desire to keep growing the endowment to further those goals. Ponder for a minute -- Harvard was chartered in 1636 and has an endowment of $36.4 billion. If the church spends most of the money it receives/earns every year, why not just come out and state it?
canvia 12y ago
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/14/16957985-inside-the-vatican-the-8-billion-global-institution-where-nuns-answer-the-phones?lite http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/14/16957985-insid...
onion2k 12y ago
The catholic church in America has an estimated annual expenditure of $170billion a year[1]. I think the 'multi-billion dollar' bit is somewhat indisputable. The 'outfit' description might be though, depending on your chosen belief system. [1] http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2012/08/catholic-church-america http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2012/08/catholic-chu...
- splat 12y ago
  True, but the expenditures of the Vatican are only ~$300 million [1]. The Vatican doesn't just spend money from other countries. (The only exception is Peter's Pence, which is an annual collection taken up in late June where Catholics can give directly to the Vatican.) [1] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2056.html#vt https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/...
- bennettfeely 12y ago
  Also, "The Economist estimates that annual spending by the church and entities owned by the church was around $170 billion in 2010 (the church does not release such figures). We think 57% of this goes on health-care networks, followed by 28% on colleges, with parish and diocesan day-to-day operations accounting for just 6% and national charitable activities just 2.7% (see chart). In total, Catholic institutions employ over 1m people." "The church is the largest single charitable organization in the country. Catholic Charities USA, its main charity, and its subsidiaries employ over 65,000 paid staff and serve over 10m people. These organizations distributed $4.7 billion to the poor in 2010, of which 62% came from local, state and federal government agencies." http://www.economist.com/node/21560536 http://www.economist.com/node/21560536

JoeAltmaier 12y ago

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060715051049AAJwh7u https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060715051049A... Their US investments alone are worth a half-billion. Not so far off the mark.

excitom 12y ago
Citing Yahoo Answers as a source? Whoa.
- JoeAltmaier 12y ago
  Well, citing a quote from an authority presented in a Yahoo Answer. Ok, I googled again for you. Here's an expert from Georgetown U quoted in a Google Answer: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=54617 http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=54617
  - ceejayoz 12y ago
    The "authority" quoted in the Yahoo Answers thread is Jack Chick, who's rapidly anti-Catholic (see http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractByKeyword.asp?Subject=Catholicism http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractByKeyword.asp?Subject=Cath...), claims Dungeons and Dragons involves true demon worship, etc. - he's pretty much anti-anything that isn't hard-core fundamentalist Christianity. The Vatican is certainly wealthy, but Yahoo Answers should never be used as a "see? evidence!" item.
- Karunamon 12y ago
  Attacking the source? Weak.
  - ceejayoz 12y ago
    The source cites Jack Chick as the evidence. He's a lunatic, not just on Catholicism. http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractByKeyword.asp?Subject=Catholicism http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractByKeyword.asp?Subject=Cath...
    - Karunamon 12y ago
      Which means grains of salt and skepticism, not outright discarding. Truth stands on its own regardless of the speaker. Otherwise it's ad hominem. This is not a scientific journal. There is no such thing as an "invalid source", there are only things that are true and things that are not, plain and simple. The lengths people will go to in order to avoid validating a piece of data is truly staggering.. And look? Turns out, he was right.
      - ceejayoz 12y ago
        A source like Chick is invalid, plain and simple. It's like asking Hitler about Jews - some of what he says might be accurate, but you're not going to cite him ever on it. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,00.html http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,... says the Vatican's wealth is $10-15 billion. I suspect their total net worth is hard to calculate given that much of what they have is priceless - it'd be hard to put a price tag on St. Peter's Basilica.
        JoeAltmaier 12y ago
        There, was that so hard? Googling 'Vatican net worth' and choosing any of several substantially-agreeing links. Sorry I picked the wrong one, but the conclusion is the same: the Vatican is a multi-billion dollar operation.
        12y ago
boblozano 12y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_T._Chick http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_T._Chick You are quoting a guy with a life-long, emotional animus - nobody should confuse his assertions with facts.
- JoeAltmaier 12y ago
  Sorry! Didn't know that guy. But I provided a Georgetown U reference as well. It substantially agrees with the estimates of size. So Mr. Chick may have accidentally got something right.
JackFr 12y ago
I like that the Chick quote references investments in at least 7 companies which no longer exist, at least 2 of which went bankrupt. The information does not seem current.

kyro 12y ago

> Bankers' best guesses about the Vatican's wealth put it at $10 billion to $15 billion. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,00.html http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,...

bane 12y ago
So .5 to .8 WhatsApps?
apaprocki 12y ago
In my mind, I wonder if you could draw mental comparisons between the Catholic church and universities. Both use an endowment to further their goals, expansion, charity, but there is a implicit desire to keep growing the endowment to further those goals. Ponder for a minute -- Harvard was chartered in 1636 and has an endowment of $36.4 billion. If the church spends most of the money it receives/earns every year, why not just come out and state it?

canvia 12y ago

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/14/16957985-inside-the-vatican-the-8-billion-global-institution-where-nuns-answer-the-phones?lite http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/14/16957985-insid...

onion2k 12y ago

The catholic church in America has an estimated annual expenditure of $170billion a year[1]. I think the 'multi-billion dollar' bit is somewhat indisputable. The 'outfit' description might be though, depending on your chosen belief system. [1] http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2012/08/catholic-church-america http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2012/08/catholic-chu...

splat 12y ago
True, but the expenditures of the Vatican are only ~$300 million [1]. The Vatican doesn't just spend money from other countries. (The only exception is Peter's Pence, which is an annual collection taken up in late June where Catholics can give directly to the Vatican.) [1] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2056.html#vt https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/...
bennettfeely 12y ago
Also, "The Economist estimates that annual spending by the church and entities owned by the church was around $170 billion in 2010 (the church does not release such figures). We think 57% of this goes on health-care networks, followed by 28% on colleges, with parish and diocesan day-to-day operations accounting for just 6% and national charitable activities just 2.7% (see chart). In total, Catholic institutions employ over 1m people." "The church is the largest single charitable organization in the country. Catholic Charities USA, its main charity, and its subsidiaries employ over 65,000 paid staff and serve over 10m people. These organizations distributed $4.7 billion to the poor in 2010, of which 62% came from local, state and federal government agencies." http://www.economist.com/node/21560536 http://www.economist.com/node/21560536