Book on Vatican finance is uneven, but worth a read

The following is taken from the Catholic Reporter.  Click on the following to read the entire review:  http://ncronline.org/node/25535-----

   Reviewed by Michael Walsh
A church built on cash
RENDER UNTO ROME: THE SECRET LIFE OF MONEY IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
By Jason Berry
Published by Crown Publishers, $25
Berry claims, sums of money are -- or have been -- regularly creamed off by parochial clergy as pocket money or even (one would like to think) as donations to the poor. But such moneys never went through the parish books. From parish funds, according to Berry's scenario, bishops have been able to build up considerable reserves, then use them to buy favor in Rome through large donations to papal coffers -- labeled as Peter's Pence to disguise the fact they were originally creamed off the top of church collections. Berry proposes with good reason that some of these offerings are little better than bribes.