German 'Bishop of Bling' suspended by Vatican

[NewYorkExpress]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/10/23/german-bishop-bling-vatican-suspension/3169723/

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Sounds like Renaissance times are back...

[Free Speech Enjoyer]

Wow.  A bit harsh a punishment for my tastes, but I can't say I disagree with the Pope's decision in principle.

EDIT: Come to think of it, I probably wouldn't do something like this if I were in the Pope's shoes.  I don't think Jesus would actually try to evict someone from their household, no matter how rich they were.

[DemPGH]

I didn't know until I started posting here that there's an 8%-10% tax if you belong to the Church or are a Christian, or whatever. Is it denominational? I mean, you pay a tax to a church if you belong, yes? I guess that runs counter to a certain perception of Europe in America: that Europe is a secular haven. It appears that totalitarian organizations like the Church are alive and very well in Europe. So separation of church and state is something we got right in America. I knew we got something right.

This story doesn't shock me at all. Are any of you actually surprised? I would bet it's much more widespread than that, although probably much subtler. Any capable administrator knows how to hide depredations like this.

[Tender Branson]

I didn't know until I started posting here that there's an 8%-10% tax if you belong to the Church or are a Christian, or whatever. Is it denominational? I mean, you pay a tax to a church if you belong, yes? I guess that runs counter to a certain perception of Europe in America: that Europe is a secular haven. It appears that totalitarian organizations like the Church are alive and very well in Europe. So separation of church and state is something we got right in America. Good.

This story doesn't shock me at all. Are any of you actually surprised? I would bet it's much more widespread than that, although probably much subtler. Any capable administrator knows how to hide depredations like this.

No, more like a 1% tax.

And you can easily opt out by quitting the church, which I did.

[Free Speech Enjoyer]

I didn't know until I started posting here that there's an 8%-10% tax if you belong to the Church or are a Christian, or whatever. Is it denominational? I mean, you pay a tax to a church if you belong, yes? I guess that runs counter to a certain perception of Europe in America: that Europe is a secular haven. It appears that totalitarian organizations like the Church are alive and very well in Europe. So separation of church and state is something we got right in America. Good.

This story doesn't shock me at all. Are any of you actually surprised? I would bet it's much more widespread than that, although probably much subtler. Any capable administrator knows how to hide depredations like this.

No, more like a 1% tax.

And you can easily opt out by quitting the church, which I did.

Are you allowed to attend the church, still?

[Tender Branson]

I didn't know until I started posting here that there's an 8%-10% tax if you belong to the Church or are a Christian, or whatever. Is it denominational? I mean, you pay a tax to a church if you belong, yes? I guess that runs counter to a certain perception of Europe in America: that Europe is a secular haven. It appears that totalitarian organizations like the Church are alive and very well in Europe. So separation of church and state is something we got right in America. Good.

This story doesn't shock me at all. Are any of you actually surprised? I would bet it's much more widespread than that, although probably much subtler. Any capable administrator knows how to hide depredations like this.

No, more like a 1% tax.

And you can easily opt out by quitting the church, which I did.

Are you allowed to attend the church, still?

Of course.

The priest is not standing in front of the church and checks for people who quit it ...

The things you cannot do anymore: marry in church and have the priest at your burial, or a church-based ceremony.

[DemPGH]

That's interesting! I'm acquainted with a number of people from Germany, England, and France, and I never knew that. I'll have to broach the subject with them sometime.

Edit: I was going to ask a question, but your answer to Scott answered it! I figured the tax had to do with weddings, funerals, etc.

[minionofmidas]

That's my bishop we're talking about here. (Well, would be if I were a member, but my parents both quit before they even met.) He was, of course, rather foisted on the see by the powers that were. And no one except the hardlinest prolifers would ever dare breath one bad word about his predecessor.

So it goes, so it goes. But it played a role in getting the story out here - which only happened after sizable parts of the clergy weren't ready to take any more and were bustling to talk about it openly.

[Franzl]

That's my bishop we're talking about here. (Well, would be if I were a member, but my parents both quit before they even met.) He was, of course, rather foisted on the see by the powers that were. And no one except the hardlinest prolifers would ever dare breath one bad word about his predecessor.

So it goes, so it goes. But it played a role in getting the story out here - which only happened after sizable parts of the clergy weren't ready to take any more and were bustling to talk about it openly.

Luckily, I belong to Mainz...

[minionofmidas]

Yeah, Lehmann's alright for a cardinal. (I love how the three Catholic Hessian bishoprics are still based on the states of Hesse-Darmstadt, Hesse-Kassel and Nassau as existed only from 1815 to 1866.)