people are getting fed up here in italy of being told how to run their families by people to choose not to create them.
but the social milestones of baptism, catechism, first communion, marriage and the last rites still rule supreme, and the church is not above using that lever shamelessly.
the catholic church, clad in their bejewelled pomp, have earned no right to speak for jesus. take away that self-vested authority, and the only christian things they do are feeding the poor, and nursing the sick, (worthy as that is), it's the proportion to their wealth and their proclivity for meddling in politics that are disturbing.
spain has a lot younger a population than italy, so it sounds like the spaniards took the vatican't's advice in bed more seriously than those residing closer to the See.
or maybe italy was just closer to chernobyl. ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
The box for 'social purposes' goes to fund NGO's and the church has created loads of them, branching out with different names, so they get the church-aid money, the NGO money, the government programs money and their followers' contributions. Then, every time I read the NGO employment site, some church NGO is asking for volunteers to do clean-up work in some residence because they do not even pay minimum wage!
They will be better off if they STFU because that loophole may be closed sooner, rather than later.
It is enraging, but at least there are enclaves like the 'red parish' that the archbishop tried to close months ago and failed. Right now, the '80 sacred meters' are housing 24 Bolivians that had been living in slum huts and an illegal hostel the city demolished.... Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. -Charu Saxena.
