Good and bad deeds
A good deed will always be welcome and especially by the church. However behind every good deed is someone with bad intentions.
Earlier this month Cardinal Sebastiani presented the Holy See’s annual budget and figures indicated a surplus of €2.4 million. A huge part of this profit was due to an increase in donations to ‘Peter’s Pence’, the collection that is given directly to the Pope for charitable purposes, from $60 million in 2005 to an incredible $102 million.
One can find many faults with the Church and they have been well documented by the media over last two decades. What can’t be denied, and what is not always seen, is their contributions in helping the sick and under privileged in various parts of the world. This certainly highlights the good work that religion can do and how influential it is in convincing it’s parishioners in donating their time and money for different causes.
In recent months Japan has experienced something of a phenomenon in terms of generosity. In Kyoto, a 67 year old woman was shocked to find 10 million yen in an envelope inside her letterbox. The mystery benefactor(s) has made a number of gestures such as this in Tokyo and Kobe. Some claim it is the brainchild of a member of a new-age religion, but as of yet no one has come forward to claim the plaudits for their gesture.
However on the other side lies something more sinister and can definitely not be classed as a good deed. Fr Mark Sorvillo, of a Chicago parish, was recently sentenced to four years in jail after admitting taking €150,000 from church collections, though that figure could be as large as €375,000.
Fr Sorvillo is alleged to have spent the money on foreign holidays, designer clothes and expensive restaurants. Because of his new lifestyle his weight ballooned to 29 stone, which forced him to have gastric bypass surgery.
Fr Sorvillo succumbing to temptation has cast the church in a bad light and it would be easy to see why there would be a lack of trust from parishioners not only in the Chicago area but across the world.
This lack of trust throws a veil over all the good work that is done by church groups all around the world and that should not be forgotten.
Wednesday, August 1st, 2007 and is filed under Love Thy Neighbour.
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