Quoted Text

Bishop’s Appeal: Give or we’ll take it anyway

    Re May 29 article, “Albany Diocese launches annual Bishop’s Appeal” by Jessica Harding: The truth about this appeal is that it is based on assessments, and is akin to a tax.
    If a particular church is assessed by the diocese this year $100,000, then that church must pay the diocese $100,000. If parishioners donate or give an aggregate of $70,000, for example, then the diocese goes into that church’s general account, and takes the $30,000 shortfall these assessments are made based on church families, prior giving wealth of the parish, etc.
    Ms. Harding’s story compared the $7.1 million raised in 2008 as about the same amount in 2007. The diocese misleads us every year by acting as if the money raised is the actual money pledged. It is not.
    For several years, parishioners have voiced their protests at the bishop’s mismanagement of issues ranging from church closings to the cover-up of abusive clergy by giving less (or not at all) to the Bishop’s Appeal.
    It doesn’t matter, because the bishop will take the money from your church regardless. It continues to be alarming that they try to fool us and claim the totals are amounts pledged by parishioners. This deception continues to erode the confidence people have in the Catholic Church.

    JOHN A. ARETAKIS
    New York City

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00705

'.......Render unto Cesear that which belongs to Cesear.....'

And this is one reason why I'm not a catholic any more and haven't been for about 20 years.

Figures, written by the staunchest anti-Catholic on this earth, a lawyer who lost his ability to practice.  

Not any different than other things in life.  If you don't spend enough for the county to raise sales tax, the county raises it's property taxes and takes from you

Quoted from mikechristine1

Figures, written by the staunchest anti-Catholic on this earth, a lawyer who lost his ability to practice.  

Not any different than other things in life.  If you don't spend enough for the county to raise sales tax, the county raises it's property taxes and takes from you

Good point MC!

they all have RobinHoods......

BUmble, ya know, there have been clergy of other Christian religions who have done stuff similar, and I'm sure in the Jewish religion too.   And even in public school this happens.  

But did this Aretakis ever want to sue other Christian groups, Jewish, or goverment?  I don't ever remember even one action by him again the other groups.  Only the Roman Catholic does he go after.

Do I think sex abuse has occurred by RC clergy?  Of course.  Do I think it's has many cases as Aretais has taken up?  No way.  He tried to sue the church over alleged actions by priests who were deceased, things that allegedly happened 30, 40, or so years ago.   Does that sound similar to the stories of people who are grown-ups in messed up lives who go to a shrink who comes up with the concocted story that the patient was molested by their parent.  

I think Aretakis saw things like St. Peter's basillica, the Sistine Chapel, the Pieta, and the like and thought he could get rich quick because "the RC church is loaded."   Most of the church's wealth is in historic stuff that I'm sure anyone in the world would not want to see destroyed or otherwise lost.  Kind of like I'll bet many in England look at the royal family and all their palaces and wonder if they should have it.  But that too spans the ages

Perhaps Aretakis should start looking at the televangelists.  Remember Jim and Tammy Baker.  Heck, Tammy Baker probably spent more money on fake eye lashes and manicures alone than any priest earns in a yar!  And those televangelists would take money for their own glamorous lifestyle and doing those fake healing things.  I'm sure their income was far greater all dioceses in NYS combined, yet their expenditures on worthy causes was almost nothing compared to the Bishops Appeal alone.  We have an elderly cousin, never married, one sibling gone whose son lives on the west coast.  Lives in an apartment, but not a complex, the landlord, kind of aging himself, and maybe a bit eccentric, doesn't want holes drilled for cable.  She pays a very low rent by todays standards and lives on meager social security pension.  Very faithful.  But won't go out when the cold weather comes, health issues, kind of shut in.  It used to be she could watch the Mass (recorded locally) at, it was either 8 or 9 in the morning on Channel 10.  Then it switched to WXXA, but WXXA airs the Mass at 6:30 in the morning, and many elderly are not up at that hour.  I could never understand why they wouldn't show it for the shut ins at a better time.  the TW3 has repeats at maybe 9 and 10, but that's cable.  We bought her a VCR and tape it and drop it off on the way home from church ourselves so she can watch the Mass in those cold winter months.  In warmer times, we'll often take her to church.  

But anyway, the Bishops Appeal is a program that funds Mass for shut-ins.  Along with many other worthy causes.  So, I guess Aretakis would prefer to deny shut ins the ability to watch the Mass on TV.

Show us what the televangelists who've had sex scandals have done for their flocks.  Bet it doesn't compare to this:  http://www.thebishopsappeal.org/

See, I disagree.  I see him as possibly one who was abused by someone related to the church, but probably not the church itself.  I also have suspicions that he's a closet case - he's way too interested in this sort of thing.

See I don't see Aretakes the way some people do. I mean he must know SOMETHING! He must know MORE! Cause I don't think he has a horse in this race anymore, does he? I mean didn't they stop him from practicing law? So what would be his point with this article?

Also, when you talk about sex scandals such as jim and tammy baker's..... Well first off....their so called 'church' did collapse and jim went to prison. All of the non-catholic sex scandals were basically tried before a court and their empires collapses. Not with the catholics though. And I believe that perhaps you are mixing apples and oranges here when we are comparing and adult sex scandal and a homosexual,little boys, child abuse scandal. BIG DIFFERENCE!

So do you honestly think that after all of these years of defending little boys who fell victim to sex abuse from a priest, was solely for the money? If that were true...then why this article AFTER being disbarred? Don't make sense. I think there is more behind the curtain in OZ (catholic church) IMHO

I actually have to say that while I am a Catholic, I disagree with a lot of the policies (not the doctrine) of the "men in the church." While I feel that the church is filled with socialists and even liberation theologians (i.e. communists) and many of it's administrators and even priests may be corrupt, I will still die a Catholic, adherent to what the "old church" was. For about 1,000 years my lineage has been Catholic, dating even to a knighthood in the second crusades, and I won't declare my faith otherwise. Just like, as much as I detest the policies 9and so-called leaders) of this new socialist government both in the state and in the nation, I am still an upstate New Yorker and an AMERICAN!

But on this topic, with the molesting and such, there are perverts everywhere who do such deeds, in the schools, and in other religions and in all professions. They need to be tried (in a court of law, that is.)

The sad part is....that I am sure he knows more,.........THEY ALL KNOW MORE......what to do about what they know is a different issue all together......
ya see,,,,,there is NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN....and they know nothing more now than they knew then........science isn't even exact.......


and here we are,,,,,typing away on this dumb a** machine....or shall I say v@#$@!..........

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Aretakis has no standing on Bishop’s Appeal

    Re June 9 letter, “Bishop’s Appeal: Give or we’ll take it anyway”: I fi nd it astounding that the Gazette would give credibility to the anti-Catholic John Aretakis, of all people, regarding the Bishop’s Appeal and print his comments.
    Aretakis is not Catholic and is not qualified to be a voice for what parishioners think of the Bishop’s Appeal.
    Perhaps the Gazette should publish all of the efforts and hard work of Catholic Charities to provide for the poor, sick and elderly that is part of the Bishop’s Appeal that also includes Christian education and support services.
    The sad thing is the less knowledgeable Catholics might read Aretakis’ comments and decide not to donate to the Bishop’s Appeal. Thus, the poor, sick and elderly will suffer while Aretakis continues to spread his hatred of the Catholic Church and making money from it!
    It should also be noted that Aretakis has been suspended from practicing law one year by the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court. The court found that Aretakis engaged in frivolous conduct by making false accusations against judges [Dec. 21, 2008 Gazette].
    He makes false accusations against the Catholic Church as well!

    ROBERT VITULLO
    Rotterdam