quote:Just when the Catholic Church in the U.S. was beginning to recover from the sordid sexual-abuse scandal of 2002, it may be staring at a new crisis. "This is the last thing the church needs when you think how low its moral credibility already is" in the wake of the child-molestation tragedy, says Chuck Zech, director of the Center for the Study of Church Management at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. "But I'm appalled at the lack of internal [financial] controls at Catholic parishes."
In a recent study co-authored by Zech and Villanova accountancy professor Robert West, 85% of the 78 U.S. Catholic dioceses responding to their survey (out of a total of 174 queried) reported embezzlement cases - and 11% had scandals of $500,000 or more.
OK, we don't want to become overly engaged in the bad news of the day or the sins of others. We'd have time for little else. Still, I believe we need to be informed and to continually examine our own selves and methods.
In contrast to these pilfering priests compare the apostles of our Lord and the public way they handled money. The funds in that day were "laid at the apostles feet" where all could see and verify - full disclosure.
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85% is hardly the tip of the iceberg. It is the iceberg. Many cases of embezzlement are never discovered. I would have thought most wouldn't be. Wonder what the real tally is.
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I'm reminded that it was the treasurer of Jesus' little band that betrayed him -- and that the apostles refused to get entangled in the distribution of the money brought to them, having 7 men assigned to management instead.
We have had no reason yet to pool our resources with others in the simple church context. I wonder what circumstances would call for that?
-------------------- You & Me and Jesus. We are enough!
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