Dear Rick:

Well, I really do not know who you are talking about. I know no bishop or priest who lives in opulence.

Depending on the diocese, Priests essentially get room, board, and car allowance, plus maybe $20,000 per year, if they are lucky, from which they have to pay self-employment taxes which is about twice what an employee pays, pay other bills, personal expenses, tithing, etc.

Sometimes Priests may seem like they have a lot of money because they have disciplined themselves to have no credit card bills or loans. Most of us are burdened by debt. If any typical working person is utterly out of debt, they can have a lot more disposable income too.

I am not a priest; I am but a lowly lay consecrated brother. I live on less than $11,000 per year and much of that goes into ministry, not my pocket.

The vestments that priests have are expensive, but usually those are donated to them.

We must be careful of committing the grave sin of Rash Judgment. Rash Judgment is making conclusions about people without knowing all the facts.

Most priest and bishops live well within their incomes (which in comparison to other professions is very small). In addition, we must also consider that the "job" of a Priest is not 40 hours per week. The typical priest puts in easily 14-16 hours per day or even more and end up working even on their so-called days off.

Given the workload, the number of hours they put in, always being "on call", the responsibilities placed upon them, etc., our priests and bishops are not paid enough.

The Bible says that ministers of the Gospel are worthy of receiving a salary from the Church. The Faithful have a moral obligation to support the Church to facilitate the work of the Church, including the salaries of her priests.

Jesus Himself dealt with a similar issue when one of the disciples complained that the woman was using expensive oils to anoint Jesus when the money of that oil could have been spent on the poor. Jesus said that the poor will always be among us, but that He would not be. Jesus accepted the expensive gift regardless of the poor all around Him.

Contrary to popular opinion the Church is not rich and her ministers do not receive opulent salaries. Are there some bishops and priests who are opulent in some fashion? or in attitude? I suppose so, but that is hardly the norm.

Also contrary to popular opinion, diocesan priests and bishops do not take vows of poverty. Rather, they make promises of simplicity in a spirit of poverty.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary