Pope Benedict XVI has warned against rampant materialism which he said is polluting the spirit of Christmas.
"In today's consumer society, this time of the year unfortunately suffers from a sort of commercial 'pollution' that threatens to alter its real spirit," the Pope told a large crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square to hear his weekly Angelus blessing.
Am I the only person who feels that for the Pope to denounce commercialism from the marble balcony of a gold-domed building, surrounded by jewel-encrusted religious icons, while wearing a giant gold cross, is just a little ironic? Why does the Vatican need to hoard so much material wealth anyway?
Sorry if this post seems a little rambling, but I'm just curious, and a little perplexed.
I also agree with you on the irony of the matter as well. I don't mean to make this local, but I find the Catholic colleges/universities in the Philadelphia area have some of the highest tuitions and give the least financial aid. I find when they preach "social justice" it's a bit ironic. Before anyone criticizes me I have two siblings the have attended or are attending a Jesuit university (St. Joe's and U of Scranton). Their student loan debt upon graduation is astronomical compared to mine. Futhermore the only Catholic college I applied to in 1998 was Villanova and I would have had to pay $6,000 more per year compared to the next best school. I find it amazing how the Catholic church is the wealthiest corporation in the world even compared to Microsoft yet charges an arm and a leg for tuition. Now I realize it's due to the lack of vocations, but still one has to wonder where this money is going while a secular school gives better financial aid.
