Notre Dame Cathedral Fire

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Really think the internet combined with the natural human tendency to find patterns and symbols in everything is driving us all slowly insane.

Slowly?

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I personally enjoyed Malcolm Turnbull suggesting we use taxpayer money to help fund the restoration.

I think the Catholic Church can afford the bill.

 

[Spark]

I personally enjoyed Malcolm Turnbull suggesting we use taxpayer money to help fund the restoration.

I think the Catholic Church can afford the bill.

Not actually their property any more tbf, all churches in France belong to the French government.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Not actually their property any more tbf, all churches in France belong to the French government.

Does that preclude them from doing their part? (genuine question)

 

[Spikey]

Have seen some absolutely horrific takes on twitter on this. No prizes for guessing who.

and elizabeth farrelly hasn't even written an article yet

 

[Spark]

Does that preclude them from doing their part? (genuine question)

Not sure actually

 

[trundler]

Pretty depressing scenes.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Very sad, good to see French billionaires making huge donations to restorate it.

 

[Daemon]

What’s with everyone suddenly using ‘take’ these days

 

[Flem274*]

catholic church should definitely be using the profits from their 3 trashy gift shops in st peters to help restore this

 

[Spark]

catholic church should definitely be using the profits from their 3 trashy gift shops in st peters to help restore this

IIRC they don't actually have much cash on hand, all their wealth is in stuff they're obviously not about to sell to get a return on investment. It's one of the things Francis has been trying to do, actually bring its financial workings out of, well, a completely different century.

Anyway, I'm reasonably confident now in saying that a fair proportion of the world's problems could be ameliorated by rounding up all the "this is what happens when you let in Muslims and Sharia law!" people, the "everything in France was built on slave labour anyway, because history started in the 15th century and somehow the slave trade started in the 12th" people, shoving them in a rocket, and firing it at the moon.

 

[Flem274*]

that's really surprising tbh, and interesting to learn. the entire vatican area is heavily commercialised so i thought that even tho they're not about to auction off raphaels or chip off a bit of gold from a pillar, they'd still be rolling in cash. those gift shops are very strategically placed and those are just the ones in the basilica.

 

[Spark]

that's really surprising tbh, and interesting to learn. the entire vatican area is heavily commercialised so i thought that even tho they're not about to auction off raphaels or chip off a bit of gold from a pillar, they'd still be rolling in cash. those gift shops are very strategically placed and those are just the ones in the basilica.

I mean, it costs money to run churches, and they have a lot of churches to run. And, as mentioned, there aren't exactly financial geniuses working there, and corruption is rife. George Pell was the guy in charge of finance reform ffs... or he was.

A quick wiki glance tells me that all that commericalisation of the Vatican City area can't even cover the expenses of running the Vatican City area, let alone help out some dilapidated church down the road in the middle of Africa falling into disrepair. Or, indeed, properly fund child sexual abuse compensation funds.

 

[trundler]

I mean, it costs money to run churches, and they have a lot of churches to run. And, as mentioned, there aren't exactly financial geniuses working there, and corruption is rife. George Pell was the guy in charge of finance reform ffs... or he was.

A quick wiki glance tells me that all that commericalisation of the Vatican City area can't even cover the expenses of running the Vatican City area, let alone help out some dilapidated church down the road in the middle of Africa falling into disrepair.

Itstl.

You forgot to include all the hush money.

 

[Spark]

Itstl.

You forgot to include all the hush money.

I mean it's not really that comparatively nefarious, it's actually quite banal. When you have such an extraordinarily confusing and labyrithine structure with dozens upon dozens of different investment accounts, bank accounts, stock holdings, assets, all arranged in a hierarchical structure that is literally millenia old and would have made the Byzantines blanch with very little independent or external oversight, there are going to be a few surreptitious transfers into personal accounts here and there.

But, having said that, most of the commonly thrown around figures in terms of their wealth is in the physical assets they own and, well, they aren't about to sell literal churches, are they?

 

[Flem274*]

I mean, it costs money to run churches, and they have a lot of churches to run. And, as mentioned, there aren't exactly financial geniuses working there, and corruption is rife. George Pell was the guy in charge of finance reform ffs... or he was.

A quick wiki glance tells me that all that commericalisation of the Vatican City area can't even cover the expenses of running the Vatican City area, let alone help out some dilapidated church down the road in the middle of Africa falling into disrepair. Or, indeed, properly fund child sexual abuse compensation funds.

that's pretty disappointing. they need to get a better accountant if they can't make a profit off all the juicy tourists. im thinking bringing in the services of a triple aaaaaaaaa video game publisher.

 

[cpr]

Definitely need better accountants. The Church of England Commissioners Board in comparison have control of £8bn worth of disposable assets in comparison (mainly shares and some land. Over half a billion is in treasury bonds alone. It doesnt include any actual churches in its value)

 

[vcs]

Can't understand how morons like Spencer can make this to be a white ethnocentricism thing.

Here, I am, an atheist of another race, who dislikes religion, never been to Europe, and I still feel pretty bad about it because I once read about cathedrals in a book. Not an expert by any means, but enough to understand that they're a great triumph of human innovation and ambition.

 

[TNT]

I mean it's not really that comparatively nefarious, it's actually quite banal. When you have such an extraordinarily confusing and labyrithine structure with dozens upon dozens of different investment accounts, bank accounts, stock holdings, assets, all arranged in a hierarchical structure that is literally millenia old and would have made the Byzantines blanch with very little independent or external oversight, there are going to be a few surreptitious transfers into personal accounts here and there.

But, having said that, most of the commonly thrown around figures in terms of their wealth is in the physical assets they own and, well, they aren't about to sell literal churches, are they?

In the mid sized town I live the Catholic Church owns a considerable amount of land and buildings in the central business district.

 

[StephenZA]

sciencealert.com/before-the-fire-an-art-historian-had-taken-amazing-3d-scans-of-notre-dame

Thanks to the meticulous work of Vassar College's art historian Andrew Tallon, every exquisite detail and mysterious clue to the building's 13th-century construction was recorded in a digital archive in 2015 using laser imaging.