Why are people surprised by the cost of having the Pope and his gay entourage visit their country? We all know that the Catholic Church is politically connected, and that the Vatican is running a business, nothing more, nothing less; using God and religion as its guise.
One would think that after several centuries of this charade people would no longer be surprised by any of this. I mean really folks, religious and secular people alike can’t be that naive, can they?
By the way, check out the photograph below. Don’t these men look really cute in their white and red robes? Notice the position of the hands. They’re so gentle… Actually, they make me want to throw up. What hypocrisy! TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press
Photography: Reuters
LONDON – British lawmakers have demanded an explanation Wednesday into why 1.85 million pounds ($2.99 million) of foreign aid money helped pay for the pope’s recent visit to the U.K.
Britain’s government initially estimated the price of the pope’s four-day visit — which saw the pontiff address crowds in London, Scotland and central England — at 10 million pounds, excluding security costs. Officials said on Wednesday that the final tally will be lower than originally thought and is likely to be confirmed to Parliament next week.
But finding out that development funds helped finance the trip was a surprise to lawmakers and will equally surprise taxpayers, said Malcom Bruce, chairman of Parliament’s international development committee.
“Ministers need to explain exactly what this was spent on and how it tallies with our commitments on overseas aid,” Bruce said.
Details of the spending came to light in a report from a committee inquiry into the accounts of Britain’s Department for International Development. Bruce said lawmakers and taxpayers alike want to know whether paying for part of the pope’s September visit met global aid rules.
A spokesman for the Department for International Development said the money transferred to the Foreign Office did not constitute official development assistance and was part of a cross-departmental funding effort.
“Our contribution recognized the Catholic Church’s role as a major provider of health and education services in developing countries,” the spokesman said, noting that that the committee also welcomed the agency’s concentration on fragile states.
“The committee acknowledges that we are right to focus on conflict-ridden countries, home to some of the world’s poorest people,” he said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
The committee’s report, however, also cautioned that giving such countries priority for aid dollars means it will be difficult to ensure aid money is well spent in war-torn environments with corrupt and incompetent governments. Well-run countries where aid money might prove more effective were bound to lose out as a result, the committee found.
