Pope Francis’ words on capitalism have left many Republicans sore. Among other “capitalist benefactors” of the church, Catholic Home Depot founder Ken Langone says he may not donate to the church anymore.
As a “potential seven-figure donor” for St. Patrick’s Cathedral restoration, Langone doesn’t like the Pope’s statements about the “culture of prosperity.” Pope francis said the wealthy are “incapable of feeling compassion for the poor.”
Langone responded, “I’ve told the Cardinal,‘Your Eminence, this is one more hurdle I hope we don’t have to deal with. You want to be careful about generalities. Rich people in one country don’t act the same as rich people in another country.’” However, Cardinal Dolan told CNBC that he spoke with Langone and told him “that would be a misunderstanding of the Holy Father’s message. The pope loves poor people. He also loves rich people.”
Langone says that he hopes the Pope will “celebrate a positive point of view rather than focusing on the negative,” in the future, especially if he wants his his money.