Whatever Happened to the Vow of Poverty?

The Church -- and I mean the institution as a whole -- is in deep trouble everywhere, for a very basic reason: it doesn't practice what it preaches. It is particularly ironic that this Holy Week, when Christendom celebrates the life of a man who epitomized all the right values and virtues that human beings should aspire to, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church was photographed wearing a $30,000 wristwatch. Worst of all, when the photo that appeared online began causing a stir, Church officials doctored it, so that the watch was no longer visible. Unfortunately for them, they forgot to erase the watch's reflection on a very well-polished table. So, the Church has had to not only admit that the watch exists, but also that it tried to cover it up.

Jesus Christ!

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