While it is true that we should have exquisite churches, it is important to put it into perspective. If one is in a very impoverished area, it would be better to give most of the money to the people. A person in dire need of water and food needs that water and food before they need a beautiful church. It is better for a person to be alive without a beautiful church and to be able to progress in the spiritual life through prayer and sacrifice than for a person who is dead to have A beautiful church but be unable to advance in the spiritual life. A beautiful church is meant to help a person’s spiritual life progress, and one’s spiritual life can progress in other ways. A simple church can be built and art, gold accents, etc. can be added later when the area is doing financially better. In the mean time, prayers can be taught and Masses can be said to improve spiritual lives while their physical lives are stabilized. In some cases, the people in this area may choose to go without in order to have a beautiful church because they recognize how important their spiritual lives are and how necessary churches are for that spiritual life. Once the people in need of immediate aid are helped, then beautiful churches should be built because, “An increased sense of God and increased self-awareness are fundamental to any full development of human society. This development multiplies material goods and puts them at the service of the person and his freedom. It reduces dire poverty and economic exploitation. It makes for growth in respect for cultural identities and openness to the transcendent.229” When most people in an area are financially stable and money is already being given to help those in need, it is ethical and even necessary to build exquisite churches to encourage and help people along their spiritual journey.

Excerpt from Justice and Solidarity Among Nations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church