Vatican wanted to construct St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and for this job money was required. Taking advantage of the ignorance of the Catholics the then Pope issued religious Bulls for the faithful to purchase them with the excuse that those who purchase these Bulls their sins will be forgiven. Martin Luther was the top Cardinal or ranking Church leader in the Vatican hierarchy. He brought objection to this business of selling Bulls to the faithfuls by the then Pope in the name of remission of sins committed by the faithfuls. Martin Luther said this business of selling Bulls is anti-Christian act by the Christian Catholic Pope. Martin Luther forcefully protested against this anti-Christian form of taxation of the faitfuls by the Pope. He further said that to construct a Basilica or to repair a Church Pope need not go for selling the Bulls instead Pope should go for some other better means, even asking for donations but surely not taxing the faithful by means of anti-Christian Bulls. Martin Luther in this Bulls business found total chicanery by the Pope and commercialization of Christian doctrine to gain material benefits and not spiritual. Somebody close to Martin Luther even remarked it seems that selling Church documents and services to make money is like doing prostitution by the Church leaders.
Because of his protest over the selling of Bulls the dictatorial Pope got angry and in collusion with the State thought of punishing Martin Luther the way Galileo was punished by the Pope. But Martin Luther was double clever and double cunning, sensing the mood of the Pope he disappeared from Rome and took shelter elsewhere from where he formed his own religious denomination known as Protestant Religion coming from the word Protest. Originally Martin Luther was from Germany.
Selling of Bulls was in existence in Goa during my younger days when Goa was under the Portuguese rule and even I remember purchasing the same. It was nothing but daylight robbery by the Church leaders to amass illicit wealth not only for the Church expenditure but also for the luxuries of the Church leaders namely of Bishops and disgraceful priests who at many times found involved in vices. To quench their thirst of vices such as illicit sex, liquour and such other forbidden fruits many of the Church leaders are taxing the faithful by charging every service that Church provides without taking into consideration the poor financial status of the faithful. For this reason many of the Catholics are deserting Catholicism and embracing other Non-Catholic denominations and yet still our Church leaders are not sensitive to this point and unfortunately they will never because they are immune to the difficulties and sufferings of the faithful.
Charging fees for every service provided by the Church is like looting. Imposing exorbitant fees universally to collect money for the construction and repairs of the Church premises is like looting the poor faithful who face lot of hardships in the first place to meet their day to day expenses. As a matter of fact the Church collection should be made transparent otherwise part of it will go for the luxuries of Bishops, priests, deacons and other Church helpers who are known to be corrupt. Because of the corrupt practices by the priests the faithful have lost their confidence in priests and other Church leaders.
As told to me, one Bishop noticed one girl selling Lottery Coupons in the Church premises. When he asked that girl why and who is behind this Lottery business, the girl replied saying “I am doing this on behalf of my village Parish Priest who need money to construct a new Church”. Then the Bishop asked that girl “Do you have a house for you?” When the answer was negative, the Bishop replied, “first collect money to construct your own house and stop this Lottery business which is one form of Gambling that is forbidden in our religion”. It gave an impression thru the statement of the Bishop that Lottery business by the priests is anti-Christian.
During Portuguese time in Goa, there was Lottery system done by Goa Government to raise funds for Provedoria to assist the old aged people. But when Bharat invaded Goa, the first thing Bharati government did in invaded Goa was to abolish this Provedoria Lottery system saying it was a form of gambling. Now Church authorities are rampantly making Lottery system to raise funds for unknown reasons but openly declaring it is for Church benefits. What benefits? Since there is no accountability and no transparency, one is at a loss to know the exact details. And since our priests are become corrupt faithful have all the reasons to doubt their sincerity. Why people lost their confidence in priests now? Because many priests treat priesthood as profession and not vocation. When priesthood is become profession then priests act corrupt in which case they don’t care for their priestly duties but like to perform Satanic duties as we see these days among us.
That Church requires funds for its expenses is certain but surely not the way it is being collected in some churches. It is wrong to tax the faithful exorbitantly in the name of collecting funds for the maintenance of Church premises. According to one very holy priest, “where there is sex in the premises the Blessed Holy Sacrament is kept, God will never allow peace in that premises and even to the faithful congregating in that Church”. Allowing married couples to live in the Church premises means surely indulging in sex which is sinful especially near the place where Blessed Sacrament is kept. Having such thing is a curse not only on the Church but even on all those who are congregating in that Church. As a Catholic it is my obligation to raise my voice on such curses because I am also a part of the Church. Church is not the monopoly of the Pope, Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Grave Diggers. The hallmark of Catholic Church leaders is abstinence from sex whether by the Pope or Bishops or Priests or Deacons.
And the Church that taxes the faithful to the extent that these taxes in the form of services provided by the Church pinches the pockets of the faithful, that Church will never have peace. And also, those priests and Bishops responsible for imposing these taxes will never enjoy God’s blessings.
Because of Bulls selling by the Church our Church was splitted and because of selling of Church services exorbitantly to the faithfuls, will there be an exodus of our faithfuls to non-Catholic denominations? Time lone will answer this question.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
