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.

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