Bingo!

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio continues to report on the momentous events affecting the Catholic Church. One such item was reported in the March 14 issue of, 'The Catholic Telegraph,' in an article titled, "Bingo! New Law Adds to Fees for Parishes."

The Catholic Church has raised untold millions of dollars by this form of gambling called bingo. In the state of Ohio, a "non-profit" organization has in the past only had to pay one flat fee of $500/year to run as many bingo games as they wanted. (Big deal - a Catholic parish will collect a lot more than that in one evening of bingo!)

There is also a second game called "instant bingo," which after April 2 will require an additional $500/year fee for being offered along with the regular bingo at weekly bingo nights. Plus, a new $500 fee will now be needed when instant bingo is sold, "at one-shot events such as parish festivals or Monte Carlos."

The article pouts that the state of Ohio may raise an additional $800,000/year from these new fees, but somehow forgets to tell us how many millions of dollars are raised for Catholic churches each year by these games of chance!

Catholic media all the time loves to whine and complain that government in the USA needs to do more for the poor and needy. Yet this article makes NO MENTION of how the poor and needy of Ohio may be helped by these increased state revenues. Or......could it be the Catholic Church is only "compassionate" when it comes to 'other' people's money?

May our Lord show Catholics that when the pope throws his dice, they always come up "snake eyes." May many Catholics reject the losing bet that Romanism is, and receive Christ by faith ALONE.

Catholic Numbers Down in Boston

'The Boston Globe' on March 5 reported some news from the Boston archdiocese in an article titled, "Deep Cuts Loom in Spending by Church." Here are some details stated in the article:

1. "In 2002 alone, the ranks of active diocesan priests in the archdiocese dropped by 10 percent, due largely to the removal of those who were accused of molesting minors. That leaves the archdiocese with less than half the number of active priests it had two decades ago."

2. "The archdiocese's annual parish-by-parish head count shows a substantial drop in Mass attendance since the scandal broke. The annual survey, taken in October, showed a 14 percent decrease from a year earlier in the number who attend Mass. That puts weekly Mass attendance below 300,000 in an archdiocese that claims 2.1 million Catholics."

3. "In 1981...the archdiocese had 1,072 active diocesan priests within the archdiocese -- not including priests who are retired or disabled. That number is now down to 505...A year earlier, it was 555."

4. It is projected that 30-40 parishes may have to be closed.

In the past year, God has clearly demonstrated for all to see the false nature of Romanism. Please keep praying daily that our Lord exposes the inherent wicked nature of the Roman religion, and that He frees many from its bondage.

May our Lord's Spirit use all this to grant many Catholics the grace to repent of the sin of Catholicism, and to receive Christ by faith ALONE.