The highly influential Catholic business association Legatus has put its annual Vatican tithe “in escrow,” citing the current crisis in the Church.
A September 6 letter (full letter below) from Legatus CEO and founder Tom Monaghan states the Legatus board took the step “in light of recent revelations and questions.”
“We have also had discussions regarding our (Legatus’) annual tithe to the Holy See, specifically pertaining to how it is being used, and what financial accountability exists within the Vatican for such charitable contributions. The Board has begun a dialogue along these lines, and in the meantime has decided to place the Holy See annual tithe in escrow, pending further determination (by the Board),” Monaghan stated.
“We certainly pledge our continued devotion to Holy Mother Church, and recognize the tithe has been an important commitment of Legatus since our founding.”
“However, in light of recent revelations and questions, we believe it appropriate to respectfully request clarification regarding the specific use of these funds,” he added.
According to Legatus spokesperson, a Legatus member must be a practicing Catholic and an owner, chairman, president or CEO of a business with a minimum of $7 million annual revenue and at least 49 employees, or, for a financial service company, with at least 10 employees and $275 million in assets under management. The association was founded in 1987 and has 3,000 current members.
Full story at LifeSiteNews.
Listen, Tom, there are a good number of worthy, humble, Traditional and Catholic orders that would greatly benefit from these Legatus funds. First, congratulations on organizing a group of businesses that wish to benefit the Church. Too bad the Holy Father is, well, not worthy of this devotion. Second, wonderful people, like: (1) the Fairfield (PA) Carmelites of Jesus, Mary and Joseph; (2) the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles; and (3) the Monks of (a) the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel (WY); (b) Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery (NM); and (c) Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey (OK), to name a few, all would greatly benefit from these funds. And, they are orthodox Catholics, to boot. Skip the Vatican (for now).
This will certainly get the Vatican’s attention. I hope if the Vatican does not provide requested information, Legatus donates directly to deserving organizations. The needy can not wait.
If Legatus is so “holier than thou” why are they sponsoring a trip to Rome with famed adulteress Liz Lev? (One can read the sordid details at Ann Barhardt’s blog.)
@ Dave N.
Reading Ann Barhardt’s blog is like taking a stroll down a back alley in San Diego with a sailor on shore leave…She has no insight or information that isn’t readily available and more charitably presented in countless other resources. So forgive me if I don’t take the word of someone that cloaks herself in beautiful images of the Church but writes like a junk yard dog. I think there might be some compartmentalization going on there..
Hate much, do you?
Ann is now claiming that the pope resorts to physical violonce against whistleblowers. That blog is crazy town, I tell you.
You don’t have to read far to get that. Crazy town does not really say the problem though. It is a bad blog and one that is unfaithful to the Church. I assume she is just a ticked off Catholic that has forgotten what sin is.
Is that the one who seduced a priest and had his baby?
“Seduced a priest” implies the priest was the victim. THe priest in question was a serial philanderer of students while he was a dean and professor of moral theology.
It is 100% the responsibility of the priest to never be sexual with anyone.
If it is true that they are holding a trip with someone having sexual relations with a priest then they should also cancel the trip to Rome if Legatus is serious about supporting (a) a celibate priesthood and (b) repercussions for violators.
She is married to him.
They are married and he has been laicized but they have no moral credibility. Both were recently also awarded prestigious and highly paid fellowships at the University of Notre Dame in — get this — ethics. The church is so corrupt. He was formerly with the Legion of Christ. Hmm… lots of bad apples came from that order.
I am kind of surprised that an org founded by the same guy that founded Ave Maria in Florida would associate with that kind of person but maybe they have converted.
Maputo — The vicar-general of the Catholic diocese of Xai-Xai in southern Mozambique, Rafael Simbine, has confirmed the suspension of a Xai-Xai priest for sexually abusing a 16 year old girl.
He told the Maputo daily “Noticias”, that the bishop of Xai-Xai, Lucio Muandula, signed a decree on 20 August suspending the priest, Calisto Chivite, from all religious activities, not merely in Mozambique, but anywhere on the planet.
The decree noted that he began his affair with the girl in 2015, when she was just 16. The girl (who was not named) is now 19 and pregnant.
“Considering that these actions gravely offend against his condition as a priest of the Catholic Church, he is suspended until the disciplinary process is concluded”, the…
The scary thing is that the move by Legatus may have unintended consequences against the other Catholic orders and charitable organizations which remain true to the Faith. The effect—–‘the innocent are punished along with the guilty.
Moreover, the accumulated patrimony of the Church may also be at-risk through confiscation:
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/church-investigations-explode
This action by Legatus is straight out of the Saul Alinsky approach to organizing. Interesting!
What does Alinsky have to do with anything? “Let your gold sweat in your palm until you know to whom you are giving”, said an ancient Christian. Should Christians have given without discretion to the Popes of the Pornocracy (late ninth-tenth centuries) or to an Alexander VI? There are plenty of places to give around the Catholic world, so if some want to hold back on the Vatican, no poor man will go hungry or naked.
Moines withheld fron contributions to the Vatican is a good example and good message to send to Catholic laity, so that they can do the same at the local parish level.
In the meantime, the Holy See has deployed resources, both human and financial, to track down Abp. Vigano:
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/the-hunt-for-vigano-vatican-spies-tracking-whistleblower
Is this the way the Church’s financial resources should be used?
Money is power, and the laity (plus lay organizations), must be particularly thoughtful these days in deciding where to contribute. Legatus is right to withhold their donation. There are plenty of other charities that need our generosity.
Coincidental with the withdrawal of this year’s tithe by Legatus, Cdl. Wuerl announced that he would no longer participate in the Legatus pilgrimage to Guadalupe.
The question is whether Legatus withdrew its invitation due to the controversy surrounding Cdl. Wuerl, or whether Cdl. Wuerl withdrew voluntarily. Personally, I believe the first is true. His invitation was revoked.
Wuerl’s withdrawal is reported on Sept. 7 here:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-wuerl-no-longer-joining-catholic-ceos-group-legatus-on-pilgrimage
I’m confused by the reference to Mozambique.
San Diego is a long way from the stereotype Navy liberty town of the 1950s. I suggest anyone take a drive around downtown.
Long live the Pope!
His praises sound
Again and yet again:
His rule is over space and time:
His throne the heart of men:
All hail! The Shepherd Pope of Rome,
The theme of loving song:
Let all the earth his glory sing
And heav’n the strain prolong.
Beleaguered by
By the foes of earth,
Beset by hosts of hell,
He guards the loyal flock of Christ,
A watchful sentinel:
And yet, amid the din and strife,
The clash of mace and sword,
He bears alone the Shepherd Staff,
The champion of the Lord.
Then raise the chant,
With heart and voice,
In Church & school & home:
“Long live the Shepherd of the Flock!
Long live the Pope of Rome!”
Almighty Father bless his work,
Protect him in his ways,
Receive his prayer, fulfill his…
Good. Withhold it until we have a better pope.
It’s too bad that the Peter’s Pence collection is 9 months away. I’d like to defer my contribution today.
The Holy Father withholds answers by answering with silence. The lay faithful are entitled to answers, and the Holy Father’s silence is an affront to the abuse victims and their families!
The example set by Legatus is a model for all of the faithful to withhold funding of the Church at the level of each parish in every U.S. diocese.
With the prospect of a substantial decline of financial resources, the bishops will have no choice but to unite together and confront the Holy Father’s intransigence.
No answers equals no more more money.
Worthy issue for the USCCB to consider.
The faithful can be “silent” with their money.
It is really not ok to withhold your tithe. You tithe is what you owe to God. Withholding God’s money because of something someone did is just a stupid power play that really has no effect. It is not ok to keep God’s money or to give it to someone else. No money from the collection goes to pay lawsuits; those are paid with insurance money. It could be used to pay for the insurance but you can designate your money to go to education or maintenance or buying the Eucharistic bread and wine or whatever you care about.
To “Anonymous” above @ September 9, 2018 at 5:00 pm
My bad. I did not realize priests could marry now in the Roman Catholic Church.
Wait! Can they???
He is laicized.
He’s laicized. Ontologically he is still a priest because once ordained always orgained, but he is no longer in the clerical state and has been released from his vow of celibacy that was only just a joke to him anyway because of how he carried on with his students.
Ok looked him up online. It appears he is a Macielist; a longtime defender of molester Marcial Maciel. Sheesh!
Better late than never. Bandwagon aside, as a leadership club, would have loved to see these free-marketeers withholding gifts when Francis was trashing laissez-faire capitalism as the dung of the devil, chummng it with the Castros, Kirills, et. al., rehabilitating communist priests, praising China as best implementor of social justice, and promoting Chicom agents in place of Underground bishops.
Pope Francis is Peter, why turn your back on the Vicar of Christ? Is that being a Catholic?
Ask Judas.