"It's tasteless to give so much attention to money."
Cologne (kath.net) Guido Rodheudt, the speaker for the "Network of Catholic Priests" has leveled a severe criticism in the recent issue of "Christ und Welt" of the Church-tax Decree of the German Bishops and also a "pastoral encouragement" for the Parish priest. This also passes the buck, because first it puts the Paster with the mandated document respectively in contact with the person to approach them, and designate this person as excommunicate.
Rodheudt continues: "The Bishops have created a massive conflict of conscience for Pastors, because there are significant reasons for the faithful, to withhold their Church-tax in its present form and to permit their devotion to the Church in another form. One can be thoroughly Catholic, without paying Church-tax. Why should a pastor refuse the Sacraments to someone who would prefer to give his money directly to a Cloister, instead of giving it to Diocesan Academies, or questionable youth associations. How can someone make it clear to the people of the Church, that the Bishops are struggling on the one hand to make a special allowance for remarried and divorced, and on the other side to excommunicate faithful Catholics because of money?"
He also doesn't understand why Rome has (supposedly) validated this way and why the German Bishops' Conference is celebrating this as a victory. "What should the public perception of the Church be? Two years ago it was the abuse theme, then the "Affaire Williamson", and now it's money -- it's never the Faith. I strongly reject this method of tax-hunting." It is tasteless, to give so much attention to money.
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