Member-only story
The Vatican is Selling Relics and Artifacts on eBay
Pope Francis wants to help the poor in this controversial, unprecedented act.
As if 2021 couldn’t get any more absurd, the Vatican is selling Indigenous peoples’ artifacts on eBay. Many of these artifacts are pre-Columbian ceramics and ceramic fragments. Even in the Americas category, some Egyptian and Chinese artifacts are listed.
Along with several saints’ bodies and body parts, the Vatican hosts a wide variety of ancient items from Palestinian coins to 4th-century Roman cookbooks. Their library alone would stretch for 31 miles if its bookshelves were stacked end-to-end. Therefore, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Vatican’s extensive archives hold wealth that may put Jeff Bezos to shame.
Although this small country’s economics are largely shrouded in secrecy, it is no secret that Pope Francis is willing to go to great lengths to help the poor. As a critic of the “idolatry of money”, Pope Francis released a document that guaranteed all Vatican City citizens “dignified work, education, and healthcare”. Wanting the Catholic church to be a “poor church” and “for the poor”, Pope Francis’s bold move has garnered mixed reactions.
David Clayton, a Catholic Exchange contributor, opposes the sale of Vatican artifacts. Believing that helping the poor should not come at the expense of spiritual edification, Clayton believes that the church’s extravagant relics would encourage the rich to give to the poor directly. By “inspiring holiness” and generosity, Clayton believes that this “principle of superabundance” will create wealth on all levels of society.
On a different note, Jody Blackwell wrote a Facebook post saying that the Vatican’s Native American artifacts were “stolen”. As these artifacts get repatriated by universities and museums, the Vatican does not seem interested in following suit. In November of 2020, Mexico sought an apology from the Catholic church for their role in the Spanish conquest. Mexico’s President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, asked for “a sincere commitment that never again will disrespectful acts be committed against [Indigenous people’s] beliefs and cultures”. In addition to that, Obrador asked for the temporary repatriation of several Indigenous document such as a map of Tenochtitlán and three ancient codices.
Although Pope Francis has good intentions in selling the artifacts, understandable concerns about respect have arisen from varying perspectives on sacredness, imperialism, and culture. Though this is a drastic move from the Pope and the Catholic Church itself, some may criticize the sale of artifacts for failing to address the many underlying issues, such as discrimination and rising costs of living, that can lead to poverty. Even so, it is clear that Pope Francis may have prodded the Catholic Church a step in the right direction.
