than to say your personifying of the Church's wealth in the person of the Pope, just knocks it out of the ball-park into lunacy. 'Nuff said.

Just his finance minister, Cardinal George Pell, had a budget of half a million euros last year. The pope is in control of appointments and dismissals to those positions, and no doubt, latitude to deny or adjust funding allocations.

Nowhere does the article I cited claim that money is in his pocket, for spending around town, but he does have singular, unquestionable control over the church hierarchy, and thus, the obscene mass of wealth the church represents.

I would like to see some action behind it.

have to see how it is translated into action. As I'm sure you know, the Church's social doctrine has been called its best-kept secret for a very long time. However, I have high hopes of the Church under Francis' direction. Already Pell, the Aussie cardinal, seems have tackled the financial administration in no uncertain fashion.

that are very discouraging.

I am glad to see them out front on economic equality, but sad that they are approving archbishops who have been involved in covering up sexual abuse.

I find it difficult to believe that the allegations could be solely driven by financial considerations, and that the accusers are lying. It's not even as if it's just one lad. And so much of the goodwill that has been won by Francis could be jeopardized. A bitter coda it would be to the whole business. Which, oddly enough, makes me wonder if there MAY be a good reason that escapes our imagination.

Francis pronounced a "zero tolerance" policy and this just seems to fly in the fact of it. I found the vatican's pronouncements on their decision to proceed very weak and without substance.

More than just looking bad, I think it is rotten to it's core.