Sell the Vatican, Feed the World?

Sarah Silverman has a new video out entitled, "Sell the Vatican, Feed the World." The premise is, if you were to sell all the Vatican's buildings, art, etc., that you could end world hunger. Now, this isn't exactly new. If you know Lenny Bruce, then you've heard it before. Bruce's routine about Moses and Jesus contrasts the gaudiness of a bishop's ring with the poverty of Spanish Harlem. Silverman takes the concept to a global scale, but it's the same social comment.

Is this a realistic plan? Let's do, as they say, some back of the envelope calculations. 3 billion people worldwide live on $2.50 per day or less. Let's accept Silverman's estimate that the Vatican is worth $500 billion. (I think that probably is on the right order of magnitude.)  For 500 billion dollars, we could add an additional $2.50 to the income of the world's 3 billion poorest people for 66 days and 16 hours -- a little over 2 months. That, of course, assumes logistical costs of $0, but there's no reason to delve into that. Suffice to say, ending world hunger is not a problem that can be solved with even $500 billion dollars.

I know Silverman and Bruce are comedians, but they're making a serious point and asking a serious question. Why doesn't the church do more to end poverty and hunger worldwide? It's worth looking at what the world would lose if the Vatican were to be sold off. St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are international landmarks. Countless statues, paintings, murals, etc. are housed there for all the world to see. The vast Apostolic Library of the Vatican contain irreplacable cultural artifacts.

The Vatican and its riches aren't simply the private property of the Pope. They have accumulated over almost 2000 years of history and now belong to all generations. Selling the Vatican would jeopardize the future of a vast trove of civilization's treasures. The damage would be irreversible, while the benefits would be ephemeral.

This is why Jesus scolds Judas for his stinginess disguised as concern for the poor (John 12). The poor we will always have with us. It is a problem we can never truly solve, unfortunately. Like Judas, Lenny Bruce and Sarah Silverman are asking that we fail to give glory to God in order to care for the poor. However, when we put worldly things first -- even when are intentions are noble -- then we are merely building another tower of Babel. We are trying to get to Heaven without God. We should not be surprised that such projects are ultimately doomed to failure.