18 junho 2008

an institutional affair

Contrary to Protestant countries which have a tradition of private charity, in Catholic countries charity has always been an institutional affair. For centuries, the Church was the charity institution par excellence. It is now being replaced by the state. What remains true is that private charities never flourished in this country.
The reason is in my previous post. If you have the means and feel like helping the poor, never do it by yourself in a Catholic country. You create a personal relationship with them that will hold you at ransom for the rest of your life. The day you decide to stop your contributions, the people you have helped for long will become the most ferocious of your enemies.

The solution is for you to give your money to an institution and let the institution deal with them.

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