The Catholic Church has selected a new pope, a man who fled the violence and dysfunction of his native Chicago to live in comparatively peaceful/safe Peru and, more recently, in the migrant-free environment of Vatican City:
Taking the name Pope Leo XIV, he shares Francis’ commitment to helping the poor and migrants.
The Catholic Church owns 177 million acres of land worldwide (source). The Church does make changes to its real estate portfolio periodically. For example, in 2024 it sold a church in the Northeast:
Father Larochelle said Muhammad Quandil and Sadaf Ali of North Attleboro purchased St. Augustine Church for $675,000 on Aug. 23. The sale included the church with an attached parish center, a separate rectory building and a parking lot.
Father Larochelle said the buyers plan to use buildings for functions and events for the religious community at the mosque they belong to in North Smithfield, Rhode Island, about 10 minutes away. The mosque, a place of worship for Muslims, has no room to expand on site in Rhode Island because of wetlands, Father Larochelle said.
(No matter how many churches are turned into mosques we should remember that in no way are Christians in the U.S. being “replaced” by Muslims. That’s a discredited conspiracy theory.)
The question for today: of the 1,400+ parishes that the Catholic Church has shut down in the U.S. during this most recent immigration wave (not a “replacement”), how many were turned into migrant housing? California, New York, and Maskachusetts are packed with rich Catholics, for example. Where are the Catholic-funded apartments or houses for migrants in California, New York, and Maskachusetts? We can find articles about Church property becoming mosques. Who can find an article about Church property becoming a permanent home for enrichers?
Also, in September the new pope will be 70 years old. Wouldn’t it make more sense for a younger executive to assume this role? Pope John Paul II started the job at age 58.
Here’s what ChatGPT 4o thinks Vatican City would look like if some apartment towers for migrants were added:
This is the best that ChatGPT could do for a church-to-migrant-housing transformation:
Loosely related…
Speaking of Illinois, should we give the new pope credit for having escaped the violence, dysfunction, and high taxes of his native Chicago in favor of the relative safety, order, and efficiency of Peru? (He was there 2014-2023.)
As a native Chicagoan and groundbreaking American political figure, Pope Leo XIV’s first book will be titled “Dreams of Our Father.”
Leo XIV said that Catholics should care about others before they care about relatives, friends, colleagues and compatriots https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/new-pope-robert-prevost-politics-trump-vance-b2747500.html . It smells like communism, at least on practice. Leo XIII was ens of XIX century anti-communist pope. Selected name could mean that Leo XIV wants to make it up with communists. However I think that Leo XIV means that only working proles in formerly civilized countries should care about others first, not noble illegals or fathers of the Church. Chat GPT has a lot of learning to do. Doubt that new pope is going to build migrant housing in Vatican.
The Vatican has a huge trade deficit. Its economy appears to depend entirely on the sale of stamps and souvenirs. Its borders are completely out of control. The new administration should reintroduce the sale of indulgences (“As soon as the coin in the coffer rings the soul from purgatory springs”), and ream the Swiss Guard so no one will dare to say “how many divisions does the Pope have.” It is too bad the conclave elected the other American candidate.
In the very last sentence of the Independent article above, the author refers to New Pope as “the main “Bergoglian” candidate, as an ally of the late head of the Vatican.”
As a heathen non-religious human, I was curious what Bergoglian means. I found the article quoted below and yes, we have another communist in the Vatican.
quoted from https://fatima.org/news-views/fatima-perspectives-1358/
“it was Antonio Socci[1] who coined the term “Bergoglianism” to denote the peculiar mélange of Seventies-era, Latin American, leftist Jesuit liberalism that Pope Francis promotes as if he were still the Argentine Jesuit Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio. ”
“the Bergoglian conception of “the people” has swelled far beyond the confines of Latin America and the Liberation Theology with which his way of thinking is thoroughly tainted. Bergoglianism sees the myth of “the people” as embracing the whole world in one global community in which “the people” will finally achieve peace, justice and universal brotherhood.
The Bergoglian rhetoric in this regard, which really has nothing to do with Catholic doctrine or the Catholic Church, purports to be anti-capitalist and anti-globalization in its demagogic pitting of rich against poor. But, as Magister notes, in practice it is nothing of the kind. Quite to the contrary, the rhetoric hides an alliance with precisely the rich and powerful, who are leading a movement for one-world government.”
https://fatima.org/news-views/fatima-perspectives-1358/
I’m so excited that to learn of Pope Leo! He was an enthusiastic supporter of the wonderful immigrants that I welcomed into the U.S. (along with Hunter and Joey). If he is looking to support some of his wonderful parishioners, may I suggest he invite Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos to live with him at the Vatican. They savagely raped and murdered 12 year old Jocelyn Nungary, but I know they have good hearts! Also hoping he would invite the imitable Jose Ibarra, who similarly raped and murdered Laken Riley. He too has a wonderful heart!
We have a lot of folks who advocate for open borders, claiming that “no human is illegal,” “all humans are equal,” and that “the rich must support the poor”, and the list goes on, and on, and on.
Yet, ironically, many of these well-intentioned so called “good dowers” live behind locked doors and gated communities, enjoy an abundance of non-essential luxuries, but will not take into their own homes illegal migrant of the unhoused.
“The question for today: of the 1,400+ parishes that the Catholic Church has shut down in the U.S. during this most recent immigration wave (not a “replacement”), how many were turned into migrant housing?”
The second question for today: How many of those 1400+ parish properties sold and added to the property tax rolls?