• Mulligrubs
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    2 months ago

    Since the Catholic church now owns more land than anybody else on Earth (170 million acres), perhaps the Pope can grace us all by paying property taxes from this point onward? The church’s unimaginable wealth should be able to cover it… everybody else manages it somehow.

    • tal@lemmy.today
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      2 months ago

      Since the Catholic church now owns more land than anybody else on Earth (170 million acres)

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_lands

      Federal lands are lands in the United States owned and managed by the federal government.

      The federal government manages about 640 million acres (2.6 million km2) of land in the United States…

      I’d also guess that the Russian and Canadian governments are up there.

      • Mulligrubs
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        2 months ago

        Yes, they had a late start, Catholic church has been around for over a thousand years, Mormons need to catch up.

        Still, they are doing rather well with around 2 million (sources vary) acres, the fifth largest landowner in USA. That’s very impressive, not paying taxes helps them a great deal financially.

        Ask L. Ron Hubbard

    • melsaskca@lemmy.ca
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      2 months ago

      Are enough people going to church nowadays to warrant the big cash flows, as in the past? Went home to a family reunion last year and my aunt/uncles 8 children were raised catholic and went to church every Sunday. Discovered none of the kids, or their kids, go to church anymore.

      • Mulligrubs
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        2 months ago

        They’re losing membership, but they have been unimaginably wealthy since the Middle Ages, they’ll be fine. Not paying taxes helps, of course.

        (that’s just for the USA, they could be gaining membership elsewhere)

    • root@lemmy.wtf
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      2 months ago

      what? the vatican is larger than the US? aahahahahahahahahaha