Well, the Catholic Church is very much a local operation, although outsiders and fundamentalist Catholics don't see it that way (bishops and popes may not see it that way, either). Yes, there is a hierarchical power structure that links the diocesan organizations with Rome - but the day-to-day operation of an ordinary parish is very much a function of the local community. If I feel my local parish is too conservative or too liberal, I go to another one that suits me better. In general, things in a parish are done by consensus. If the pastor gets dictatorial, the people drag their feet. It doesn't always work wonderfully - our pastor recently failed to renew the contract of a well-loved school principal, and he did it without consulting anyone until after the deed was done. Most of the "movers and shakers" in the parish would have advised against the firing. I'm friends with both the principal and the pastor, and I can see both sides of the issue. But the pastor lost a number of friends (and probably some contributions) in the matter.

From the standpoint of a local parish, functions of the pope and bishops are largely ceremonial. The bishop comes once a year to do confirmations, and otherwise he mostly leaves us alone. We get our insurance and construction financing through the diocese, and there are diocesan accountants and lawyers and personnel boards to handle business services for the parishes. Priests are assigned by the bishop, or by their religious order if they are religious (so that's a significant matter that is beyond local control). In our diocese, pastors are appointed for 12-year terms.

Finances are handled mostly on a local basis, although we do have an assessment of about 10 percent that we pay to the diocese. I don't know how much dioceses pay to Rome, or if Rome exists completely on endowments. The Vatican does have extensive investments. I understand that money comes mostly from the Pope's loss of the Papal States, when Italy was unified in the 1870's. Much of the fabled wealth of the Catholic Church is in the form of buildings that are expensive to maintain, and museum artifacts that are on display for the public. I think I like it that way - I'd hate to see the Pieta in the hands of a private collector, and I really enjoy visiting beautiful old churches (although I'd rather worship in a smaller, more intimate church where I can see and hear). From my observation over a lifetime of close association with Catholic institutions, I'd say that in general, the spending habits of the Catholic Church are not extravagant, and a lot of money is spent on assistance to the poor. I've done a lot of volunteer building maintenance work for Catholic institutions in my life, mostly because the institutions can't afford to pay for maintenance and keep letting things fall apart.

-Joe-