find it extremely bizarre that you correlate charity work with missionary work - they are completely unrelated, in truth. In fact, I would be very much glad if the Church stopped doing missionary work altogether. But while the Church may do charity work, it should be noted that its opulence is as legendary as it is unnecessary, not to mention contrary to the teachings of the man they claim to profess. But since you correlate missionary work with charity work... one has to wonder, indeed, if it's truly charity they're after, rather than gaining converts? (And then you have people like Mother Teresa, who literally hoarded millions and millions of dollars worth of donations and did nothing with them. She could have built clean, and sanitary hospitals, all sorts of modern facilities in India for the sick and poor, but, much better to keep people suffering in crappy hovels, since it "brings them closer to Jesus"... ) Of course, when she felt sick, she opted for a modern clinic, so go figure.