Catholic Church in Norway ordered to pay $5.1 million for fraud

[rado84]

The Trefoldighetskirken [Holy Trinity Church] in Oslo, Norway. The diocese is appealing a claim by city officials that the church pay $5.1 million in compensation for participating in fraud practices.

OSLO, Norway, July 1 (UPI) -- The Catholic Church is appealing a claim from government officials in Oslo, Norway that the church pay $5.1 million in compensation for participating in fraudulent practices.
The Oslo diocese, its bishop and its financial officer are accused of fraudulently registering thousands of people on its membership lists as to receive greater subsidies from the government.
Norway, predominantly Protestant, permits religious organizations to apply for and receive federal subsidies based on their membership amounts.
The Olso diocese registered about 65,500 new members between 2010 and 2014 and more than 56,500 people of that total were registered under disputed methods, according to Olso government officials. The diocese received more than $6 million in national subsidies during that time.
The church is accused of using telephone catalogs to look for Polish or Spanish names and then tracking down their resident registration numbers in Norway before registering them as members of the church without their consent.
The church's offices were raided in February on suspicion of "aggravated fraud."
Lisa Wade, acting administrative leader of the diocese, recently said "we have a completely different understanding [of the law] than the [county governor]," adding that the case is "legally complicated."

[The Grand Nudger]

The diocese -would- have a completely different understanding of the law, now wouldn't it............ This is unsurprising, the church has been padding it's stats. Why would a government award subsidies based upon those stats to an organization -known- to cook the books in the first place? It's silly, and they share responsibility in any potential misappropriation of funds.

[brewer]

Not surprised at all. Hey Catholics try this. Collect all of the newborn names from hospitals and register them. State that god told you they would all be Catholic abd therefore not your fault.

[Longhorn]

fuck em c:

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Wait - the Catholic church is fraudulent?  I feel faint with shock and horror.

Boru

[vorlon13]

Shame on Norway for underwriting religion in the first place. If the pew warmers can't make a go of it, close 'em down.

Might as well take money out to the grill pit and burn it.

Fucking maroons.

[vorlon13]

The diocese is still $900,000 to the good too. Fuck, goddam it!, take back all you gave them, and THEN fine them $5 million on top of that.

The government is still rewarding bad behavior, the catholics will do it again.