Many religious leaders have been following the example of Jeremy Irons in The Borgias and splurging the church’s wealth
Spending money sometimes feels like a godly act to me. Especially when it’s on an item as holy as a lamp shaped like a seal or a sloth printed shirt. Luckily though, I’m not a religious leader of any sort, or else the Pope and the public might have other thoughts on the matter. This was proven of late by the antics of the ‘Bishop of Bling’.
The Bishop of Bling is also known as the Bishop of Limburg Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, which is somewhat more of a mouthful to say and nowhere near as imagery invoking. Having splurged the equivalent of £26 million on renovations for his residence, he has since been suspended by the Pope while further investigations are carried out and the Vatican’s finances cleared up.
This isn’t the first time a religious leader has decided they need a little more luxury in their lives. Take the jet-setting, Buddhist monk for example. He decided that the life of a monk shouldn’t just be all vows to God and celibacy, but instead spending lavishly, sleeping around and committing crimes. I think he read the job description wrong. All of the above was revealed after Wirapol Sukphol was videoed in orange robes and aviator sunglasses on a private jet, accessorised with a Louis Vuitton bag. Very discreet.
In 2007 the Senator Charles Grassley, who was a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, was called on to investigate the extravagant ways of pastors around America after some were noted to be driving Rolls Royce cars and living in million-dollar homes. Grassley requested the financial statements from an array of ministries, and still to this day many have blocked their accounts from being looked into. Not the most reassuring of responses.
They used charity donations to purchase expensive jewellery and, as seems to be popular with certain religious folk, pricey cars and properties
Then there was Bishop Edir Macedo, the leader of Brazil’s Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. He, along with several other leaders of the same church, had been reported for fraud and money laundering. They had used charity donations to purchase expensive jewellery and, as seems to be popular with certain religious folk, pricey cars and properties. A £27 million jet didn’t help those who already had their suspicions. Stop buying jets, guys!
What ever happened to resisting temptation? I mean, Jesus went without food and water for 40 days and 40 nights, right? So going without a designer bag shouldn’t seem too difficult. It would seem that some of those married to the church are nothing but gold diggers, eh? Cue Kanye West.
Image: Flickr
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