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Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the Needy

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[h=1]Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the Needy[/h]

On the eve of his visit to the United States, Pope Francis blasted religious institutions who are exploiting tax loopholes to make money instead of helping the needy.
In an interview with a Portuguese Catholic broadcaster, the Pope discussed the need for Christians to fight the temptation of the ‘God of money’, into which many religious institutions often fall. He then called out those institutions that have opted to enter into the hospitality industry while exploiting a legal loophole to keep from paying taxes on their business enterprise operating under the guise of doing “God’s work.”

The more I hear from and about the new Pope, the better I like him.

And I'm not even Catholic.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

Another century, another pompous, overreaching pope.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

Where does the Pope come off commenting on that an he obviously doesn't understand why the tax exemption status exists in the first place, at least in the U.S. He needs to focus on getting all the child molesters charged, that have been covered for over the years.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

He's a disgrace, and I'm Catholic.

I can see by your sig line that you're thinking straight. So, what problem do you have with your Pope?
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

I can see by your sig line that you're thinking straight. So, what problem do you have with your Pope?

He's WAY too political, way too progressive. Gimmie John Paul II any day. Seriously, he was a great pope. This guy? Meh.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

He's WAY too political, way too progressive. Gimmie John Paul II any day. Seriously, he was a great pope. This guy? Meh.

He does make comments that could be considered political.

Is it Christ Like to maintain businesses that are tax exempt to compete with ones that have to pay taxes? What happened to rendering unto Ceaser and all that?
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

He does make comments that could be considered political.

Is it Christ Like to maintain businesses that are tax exempt to compete with ones that have to pay taxes? What happened to rendering unto Ceaser and all that?

I'm not going to have that discussion with you.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

I wish he'd concentrate more on Priests buggering up little boys, and less on politics.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

Pope Francis blasted religious institutions who are exploiting tax loopholes to make money instead of helping the needy.
He's a disgrace, and I'm Catholic.

"I'm Catholic, and the Pope is a disgrace....because he wants churches to spend more of their wealth on the needy.....he is too progressive!"
 
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Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

I wish he'd concentrate more on Priests buggering up little boys, and less on politics.

Where does the Pope come off commenting on that an he obviously doesn't understand why the tax exemption status exists in the first place, at least in the U.S. He needs to focus on getting all the child molesters charged, that have been covered for over the years.


Red herrings. The topic is the Pope and his criticism of churches not spending enough on the needy.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

Red herrings. The topic is the Pope and his criticism of churches not spending enough on the needy.

I took his pronouncement as purely political. If the Pope is so concerned with the amount of spending on the needy, I'd advise him to melt down a few of those 10 lbs. gold challices. He could even consider taking out a second mortgage on some of the church's vast RE holdings and give a little himself.

Pedophiles still hide in the church. The Pope should be ashamed. He should clean up his own ****pile before he pontificates on how everybody else should live.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

This being the actual issue:

“Some religious orders say ‘No, now that the convent is empty we are going to make a hotel and we can have guests, and support ourselves that way, or make money.’ Well, if that is what you want to do, then pay taxes! A religious school is tax-exempt because it is religious, but if it is functioning as a hotel, then it should pay taxes just like its neighbor. Otherwise it is not fair business.”

The headline seems to be something from an entirely different story. I'd chalk that up to an overzealous headline writer, but the headline is actually echoed in the story itself, so that borders on just plain lying about what he said.

Of course, that's not unusual with this particular Pope.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

Red herrings. The topic is the Pope and his criticism of churches not spending enough on the needy.

Plank + own eye + remove it = not looking at the speck in someone else's eye
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

This being the actual issue:

The headline seems to be something from an entirely different story. I'd chalk that up to an overzealous headline writer, but the headline is actually echoed in the story itself, so that borders on just plain lying about what he said.

Of course, that's not unusual with this particular Pope.

If this is the case then, sure, tax a hotel.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

I took his pronouncement as purely political. If the Pope is so concerned with the amount of spending on the needy, I'd advise him to melt down a few of those 10 lbs. gold challices. He could even consider taking out a second mortgage on some of the church's vast RE holdings and give a little himself.
So how much does the Catholic Church spend worldwide on the needy...or just in the US?
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

Plank + own eye + remove it = not looking at the speck in someone else's eye
Yer 0 for 2 in discussing the topic, well done.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

This pope is an atheist.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

This being the actual issue:



The headline seems to be something from an entirely different story. I'd chalk that up to an overzealous headline writer, but the headline is actually echoed in the story itself, so that borders on just plain lying about what he said.

Of course, that's not unusual with this particular Pope.
So if the writer misdirected the story, the subject is lying? WTF?

There is no misdirection or "lie", if a church is getting a tax break for educating children (needy), great.....but if the property is a profit generating hotel, they should pay taxes.

What was so hard understanding....that?
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

Pope Francis blasted religious institutions who are exploiting tax loopholes to make money instead of helping the needy.

"I'm Catholic, and the Pope is a disgrace....because he wants churches to spend more of their wealth on the needy.....he is too progressive!"

That's not it. It's his entire tenure. Sorry you're limited to the moment.
 
Re: Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the N

[h=1]Pope Francis Calls for Ending Tax-Exempt Status of Churches That Don’t Help the Needy[/h]



The more I hear from and about the new Pope, the better I like him.

And I'm not even Catholic.

He is kind of right, but most of those churches who make profit are mega churches, who usually run tv shows and telethons for donations, so their head preacher can make millions and the staff making hundreds of thousands.

But then you have smaller churches, who usually run food drives, get small donations, and many of their staff are strictly volunteer. People would be like omfg megachurch x has it's preacher driving a ferrari, but people never look at small ones, where the homeless and the hungry can get food and shelter regardless of religion.

It just follows truth, power corrupts, absolute power absolutely corrupts, and bigger churches get to be powerful.
 
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