Only small percentage of Catholics 10% charity donation reaches poor – The Wall Street Journal

Many 'good' Catholics adhere to a traditional definition of tithing and donate 10% of their gross income to charity per year which is kept by the Vatican in Rome. But after the report on systematic sexual abuse involving thousands of children over 7 decades by Catholic priests; Catholics are searching for ways to respond to the scandal and some have started lashing out with their wallets. Cases of Catholics who are considering withholding their charity money from the Vatican and opting to donate the 10% of earnings to local charities chosen by them as a way of 'cleansing' the Catholic Church of this history of abuse are being reported around the world. And now another scandal has emerged with the Wall Street Journal reporting that only 10% of these donations actually spent on charitable causes. This presents another scandal for Pope Francis, who is trying to douse several fires including concerns about a $200m real estate investment in London and the resignation of most of the members of the board of the Vatican's Financial Authority. – Linda van Tilburg.Vatican uses donations for the poor to plug its budget deficit.By Francis X. Rocca.(The Wall Street Journal) VATICAN CITY – Every year, Catholics around the world donate tens of millions of dollars to the pope. Bishops exhort the faithful to support the weak and suffering through the pope's main charitable appeal, called Peter's Pence..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.The little-publicised breakdown of how the Holy See spends Peter's Pence, known only among senior Vatican officials, is raising concern among some Catholic Church leaders that the faithful are being misled about the use of their donations, which could further hurt the credibility of the Vatican's financial management under Pope Francis..The Vatican is currently embroiled in a scandal over opaque real-estate investments in London, which has triggered a power struggle within the Vatican's bureaucracy and led to the dismissal of its chief financial regulator. Last month, the Vatican was suspended from an international network of anti-money-laundering watchdogs..Meanwhile, the Holy See is struggling with a growing budget deficit, with the pope warning cardinals of the "grave impact" on the body's economic future. The Vatican's continuing financial problems reflect a lack of progress on improving its management and finances, which Pope Francis was elected in 2013 with a mandate to overhaul, following allegations of corruption, waste and incompetence there..Under church law, Peter's Pence is available to the pope to use at his discretion in any way that serves his ministry, including the support of his administration. The collection's website says that, to support the pope's charitable works, "Peter's Pence also contributes to the support of the Apostolic See and the activities of the Holy See," emphasising activities that help "populations, individuals and families in precarious conditions.".The assets of Peter's Pence now total about €600m, down from about €700 million early in the current pontificate, largely on account of unsuccessful investments, said the people familiar with the funds' use..The use of Peter's Pence donations mostly to plug the budget deficit is particularly sensitive for Pope Francis, who began his pontificate by calling for a "poor church for the poor," and has continually emphasised the church's mission to care for and advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable..The head of the Vatican's press office didn't respond to requests for comment on the use of the funds..Peter's Pence, a special collection from Catholics around the world every June, is billed as a fundraising effort for the needy. The Vatican's website for the collection, www.peterspence.va, describes it as a "gesture of charity, a way of supporting the activity of the Pope and the universal Church in favouring especially the poorest and Churches in difficulty. It is also an invitation to pay attention and be near to new forms of poverty and fragility.".A section of the website dedicated to "works realised" describes individual grants, such as €100,000 in relief aid to survivors of last month's earthquake in Albania or €150,000 for those affected by cyclone Idai in southeastern Africa in March..Local church leaders echo the Vatican's line when soliciting contributions. According to the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: "The purpose of the Peter's Pence Collection is to provide the Holy Father with the financial means to respond to those who are suffering as a result of war, oppression, natural disaster and disease.".But for at least the past five years, only about 10% of the money collected – more than €50 million was raised in 2018 – has gone to the sort of charitable causes featured in advertising for the collection, according to people familiar with the matter..Meanwhile, about two-thirds of the money has been used to help cover the budget deficit at the Holy See, these people said. The Holy See consists of the central administration of the Catholic Church and the papal diplomatic network around the world. In 2018, the budget deficit reached roughly €70 million on total spending of about €300 million, reflecting chronic inefficiencies, rising wage costs and hits to investment income..Donations to Peter's Pence have dropped notably in recent years, to over €50 million in 2018 from over €60 million in 2017, these people said. Concern among ordinary Catholics over the church's clerical sex-abuse crisis, as well as about the Vatican's financial transparency, have weighed on donations, these people said. Another decline is expected for 2019..In November, Pope Francis said that he had authorised the raids because of apparent corruption, but he defended the practice of investing Peter's Pence donations in real estate and other assets, rather than using it for charity immediately.."When the money from Peter's Pence arrives, what do I do? I put it in a drawer? No. This is bad administration. I try to make an investment and when I need to give, when there is a need, throughout the year, the money is taken and that capital does not devalue, it stays the same or it increases a bit," the pope said last month..But no more than a quarter of the annual Peter's Pence contributions is available for investments, after the bulk is spent on the Vatican's operating costs, according to the people familiar with the fund..– Write to Francis X. Rocca at francis.rocca@wsj.com

Only small percentage of Catholics 10% charity donation reaches poor – The Wall Street Journal

Related Stories

Meet Tshepo Mahloele – Big Capitec shareholder, ABSIP’s “CEO of the Decade” now accused by Holomisa as kingpin of corrupt network

PREMIUM: Making of a great editor – the George Palmer playbook

Premium – BizNews global portfolio: ASML joins – so does Adobe as Bull takes hold again

Alec Hogg: Helen Zille predicts SA choice will be DA or EFF