St Mary’s Basilica, Krakow

I was delighted to see that the Christmas decorations are still up in Krakow - they are lovely. St Mary’s Basilica (St John Paul II was the Bishop here before he became Pope) is unbelievably ornate, with gold and silver everywhere. It is undeniably impressive and beautiful, but I have to wonder what all this has to do with an itinerant preacher from Palestine who told people to sell what they had and give to the poor. I’ll probably be thrown out of the Catholic Church for saying this.