You Who Preach “Do Not Steal,” Do You Steal?

How effective do you think a sermon on the wrongness of stealing would be if, on the very next day, the church sanctioned the stealing of property and goods in order to sell them again to their owners in an effort to obtain “unwilling contributions”? This is the method one Catholic church in a suburb of Managua, Nicaragua, has contrived in order to force all the people in its neighborhood, regardless of what religion they may profess, to contribute to the church during “Holy Week.” Anything that the “holy thieves” can lay their hands on is carried off to the church to be redeemed only after a contribution is given for it. This, of course, has given opportunity to many “not so holy thieves” to carry off personal belongings too.

No wonder the Catholic Church has not proved to be a force against thievery, for, as the apostle Paul said, “The name of God is being blasphemed on account of you people among the nations.”—Rom. 2:21-24.