I personally think that we may well see the Vatican and

Posted on: February 1, 2024 at 17:21:43 CT

much/all of that wealth destroyed because of the grave sins of the Church leaders and the people.

But I don't think having those great structures and art is necessarily a bad thing. It is a means of showing man's great respect and thanksgiving to Our Lord. It isn't something that should make clerics boast or feel wealthy. It is a treasure of the people, passed down from generation to generation.

I remember reading that people in poor Latin American countries would be horrified if anyone tried to sell off their beautiful cathedrals or art in them to give to the poor. They rightfully consider this to be *their* treasures. That is where they worship, and it is a product of the toil and sacrifice of their ancestors that has been passed down to them, and which they will pass down to their descendants. They are proud of it, they love it, and it is an aid for them in their worship.

In the Sacred Scriptures Judas protests 'wasting' expensive oil to anoint the feet of Jesus, but Jesus rejects his argument.

John 12:3-8
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+12%3A2-8&version=RSVCE

Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, “Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. 8 The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”