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Polizia Di Stato / AFP - Getty Images, file
An aerial view of St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican. Despite the vast assets of the Roman Catholic Church, the Holy See made a loss of $18.4 million loss in 2011.
VATICAN CITY -- As the Catholic church prepares to choose its second leader in a decade, the world’s eyes are once again focused on the complex and secretive ways of the Vatican.
In mid-March, 117 cardinals will be locked inside its walls until they decide who should next attempt to govern one of humankind’s most enduring, yet bewildering, institutions.
Their new pope must not only provide spiritual leadership to followers in more than 180 countries around the globe, but also reconcile deep divisions within the two-and-a-half square miles of the Vatican itself, on the left bank of Rome’s Tiber river.
In his homily at Mass late Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of “sins against the unity of the Church,” hinting at the office politics of an organization worth at least $8 billion but which features a switchboard operated by nuns.
Each day, some of the Vatican City’s 1,900 lay workers leave the cacophony of traffic-choked Rome and step across the white lines that mark the state boundaries. Inside, they assist up to 2,800 global employees of the Holy See – including cardinals and archbishops – to the sound of choirs and the leading of prayers.
“It’s only a normal workplace if having a Raphael fresco on the office wall is normal,” said George Weigel, NBC News Vatican analyst and author of "Witness to Hope," the best-selling biography of Pope John Paul II.
More than 5 million tourists see inside the Vatican’s grounds and museums every year – almost as many as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art – but the power lies away from the cameras.
One of the possible candidates for the papal role, Canadian Archbishop John Michael Miller, gave an insight into this very private world.
Alessandra Tarantino / AP
The lights shines from Pope Benedict XVI's apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Tuesday.
“When the main elevator of the Apostolic Palace stops at the third floor, you have two choices: turning to the left, for the pope's private apartment, or to the right, for the offices of the Secretariat of the State,” he wrote in a 1997 article for ‘The Catholic Answer’. “Every day about 200 men and women - bishops, priests, religious and laity- turn to the right. They walk along magnificently frescoed corridors to their modest offices, where they discretely collaborate in the pope's ministry to the Church and the world.”
Although the wealth of the church has been on display throughout history, its financial details are not. Paolo Cipriani - director of The Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), often referred to as the ‘Vatican Bank’ - last year pledged to “lift the veil of secrecy” surrounding the organization. The institute manages $8 billion of the church’s worldwide wealth and investments as well as 33,000 accounts for clergy and parishes, held in euros.
An open day last June was the first occasion in which journalists had been allowed inside its headquarters, inside a medieval defensive tower that once housed the Vatican prisons, newspaper La Stampa reported.
'A pretty lean organization'
It is an environment at once opulent and modest. Despite the vast assets of the Church, the Holy See made a loss of $18.4 million loss in 2011. Its $308 million income from IOR revenues - and supporters including its biggest single donor, the United States – fell short of the $326.4 million cost of running its global missions and operations such as Vatican Radio.
A separate budget for the Vatican City state, which deals with the administration of the church’s "home" in Rome made a $12.4 million profit in 2011, with most of its $113 million coming from tourists at its museums.
“This Dan Brown notion that the church is oozing millions of euros is just not true,” Weigel said. “These incredible buildings are not liquid assets. Most of the money that comes into the church goes straight back out again.
In a moving Ash Wednesday mass attended by thousands, Pope Benedict gave his final public mass and is now preparing to meet with the pastors of Rome's parishes. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
“It is not even the biggest employer locally. Given the number of lay Catholics worldwide – 1.2 billion – the Vatican is a pretty lean organization. Of course, lean does not necessarily mean efficient.”
Confidential documents, stolen by the pope’s former butler and published in 2011 in a scandal known as "Vatileaks," revealed the haphazard and sometimes bizarre nature of the church finances. As well as tens of millions of dollars in small, personal donations from around the world, an Italian chat show host gave 10,000 euros with a note seeking a meeting with Pope Benedict.
The papers also revealed the efforts of Archbishop Carlo Mario Vigano to slash grossly inflated costs such as the $700,000 life-sized nativity scene in the center of St. Peter’s Square, according to a Newsweek feature on the scandal.
Insiders insist there is little sign of modern extravagance inside the Vatican, but the working world is very different to a similarly-sized corporation.
“Some of the technology – the computers, for example – may seem a little backward from a U.S. perspective,” said Father Robert Gahl, associate professor of ethics at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. “There is an esprit de corps which is very motivating. It is a highly professional atmosphere.”
When asked how many people work in the Vatican, 20th century Pope John XXIII is reported to have replied: “About half."
Gahl said there was a grain of truth in the comment. “Like in any organization, there are some people who are there for the tremendous job security,” he said. “But there are also priests who devote a lot of their lives to their work.”
Alastair Jamieson / NBC News
Vatican City even boasts its own postal service.
Even the more secular aspects of the Vatican, the city state, are complex thanks to its geography. Squeezed into a triangular site in central Rome, the smallest country in the world has grown well outside its original footprint and much of its buildings and offices – including its own hospital – lie outside its boundaries but are granted the same judicial separation from the rest of Italy.
Much of the administration of the Vatican City, which issues its own passports and license plates and has its own postal service – reportedly much more efficient than its Italian counterpart – is carried out by lay workers who must agree to the church’s moral instruction.
“I don’t think they have to be Catholic but I would image that, this being Italy and because of the nature of the job, most people who apply are Catholic,” Gahl said. “I would also think that, when you interview somebody for a job at any non-profit you are likely to choose somebody who shares the same ideals and objectives as the organization.”
One of the first tasks of the new pope will be to try and rein in the Roman Curia - the Byzantine hierarchy of the Holy See, which includes various dicasteries, pontifical councils and secretariats - as well as modernize its practices.
“There is a feeling that Benedict never really got to grips with it at all,” said Weigel. “I think some changes are going to essential for the new pope.”
A dissident Austrian priest, Rev. Helmut Schueller, has spoken out against the ritual of the cardinals' conclave - at which voting papers in the ballot for the new pope are burned to create white smoke - and called for greater openness in the process of selecting a new leader.
"If things were going well, the conclave fathers would at least be going out to the Church grassroots and calling meetings to really hear what the faithful expect," he told Reuters on Wednesday.
However, running the Vatican will require more than just fresh management skills.
“The pope is not so much the head of a corporation, more the CEO of a large non-profit – and that means bringing clarity in direction and teaching,” said Gahl. “Cardinals do not usually subscribe to Harvard Business Review.”
Javier Barbancho / AFP - Getty Images
Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Look back at his life from childhood through his papacy.
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Vatican history of 'cover-ups and disarray' will challenge new pope
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Since Rome had such a big hand in covering up the Los Angeles priest abuse cases and failed to stop them, thus adding to the number of abused kids, Rome should be made to help cover the settlements. Right now it's being done on the backs of the L.A. Archdioceses employees, among many others, who are paid poorly and don't have a retirement plan to piss in.
The largest land owner in the world is worth only 8 billion? Yeah, and I have some oceanfront property in the Rockies to sell you.
'god' is an idiotic idea promoted by immoral people to control and pacify the weak minded. They should just disband this outdated and ultimately harmful institution.
Just came from a "scientific" seminar where the central thesis is that all man-made information has a shelf life. Not only that, but it has a predictable decay much like any naturally occurring element. That would mean the "idiotic idea of religion" would have outlived its usefulness thousands of years ago and should be relegated to the dustbin of history.
That the passion for God continues to thrive among a billion inhabitants of Earth despite the passage of time ought to give you pause for thought. God is not man-made. And there are plenty of historical (Lourdes) and present day events (Medjugorje) and people (Padre Pio) supporting the existence of God that science recognizes but cannot explain.
God is as relevant today as ever. It's never too late to test a hypothesis to validate the truth.
Too bad you believe in the wrong god, eh Rick?
Catholicism, one of the most disgusting "religions" ever, seconded maybe only by Islam or the Westboro Baptist bunch.
Reply to Sam--298381 (66.1) "God appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah" It doesn't specify which kind....the sperm whale?...? Nineveh was known as a "city of bloodshed", employing extremely brutal methods in killing captured warriors. Jonah allowed his "fear of man" to cause him to disobey God's orders and to travel in the opposite direction. The account of how the men aboard the ship threw Jonah overboard, at his request, is very interesting. Jesus referred to Jonah's experience when confronted by faithless Jewish leaders who were demanding that Jesus show them a special "sign" to prove he was the Messiah. He forcefully told them: "No sign will be given except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights."......Ark: It has been estimated that the hundreds of thousands of species of animals today could be reduced to a comparatively few family "kinds", set by genetic DNA. According to the ability for inbreeding in each "kind" (genetically set) there could have been as few as 43 "kinds" of mammals, 74 "kinds" of birds, and 10 "kinds" of reptiles in the ark, eventually producing the variety of species known today. (A sidenote concerning the flood...there had been a protective canopy surrounding the earth consisting of a tremendous amount of water that was used to deluge the earth. After that protectve barrier was removed, the life span of man decreased from hundreds of years to 70 or 80 years.) Jesus referred to the time of the flood at Matthew 24:37-39: "For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be." And, then at Matthew 24:44, Jesus gave this warning: "...On this account you too prove yourselves ready, because at an hour that you do not think to be it, the Son man is coming."
The Vatican needs to spend some of their money on the poor to help combat health issues, poverty, human rights issues and starvation rather than spending it on lavish adornments for common men and paying lawyers fees for past (and maybe present) misdeeds. The Church is a hypocrit for expecting people to pledge lives of poverty, chasity and whatever and in turn live like so many royals in their little fiefdom fleecing the poor and unsuspecting!
The astronomical wealth of the Roman church along with its massive hierarchy, intricate architecture and priceless artworks cause overwhelming awe and fear at a worldwide institution so powerful to have accumulated all of this and hence inspire the most abject intimidation and the meekest, passive, blind obedience.
In my humble opinion for the Church's penance and retribution to mankind for Its' indiscretions, putting it discreetly, should be to give back to each nation their stole cultural artifacts and treasures that the Vatican holds, with interest
In addition, aiding these nation in setting up the infrastructure to house, to protect and to display for the world to view, boosting their economies and the self-esteem of the people of these nations.
Them maybe the world could begin to believe that they are true followers of the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The Pope had his head in an open toilet when he was sucking off 5 Teenage Alter boys in a Gay Bar. after drinking one complete bottle of TEQ! Not good for you to do that OLD MAN, and his dick is very small. . . Poor thing!
That wealth comes from all the money that was stolen over the past 1000+ years in the name of the church. It's sad to see all that wealth squandered when so many people starve and are homeless. Plus the Catholics believe that birth control is a sin, so when the 'convert' people in 3rd World countries, they have baby after starving baby. All because of the church. Why do Catholics hold the Pope in such reverence? He's just a normal man that's elected to an office. He's no holier than Obama! In 2008 I took my family to Italy on holiday. We waited in line to see the Vatican, in the heat for over an hour only to be turned away because my sister and niece had on shorts and sleeveless shirts. Funny how in Florence they had paper panchos for the ladies. Does God love them any less because they had on shorts? ALL organized religions should be shut down. The Bible says there is only 1 Father and to pay reverence to no man. Why do we call Priests 'Father'?
The Catholics and the Tea-Party can all should all get together for a forced ultra-sound to find out what's wrong with them.
"And now a word from our sponsor, Go forth and beat your disobedient daughter"
What a waste of time this story is. Not worthy of any comments. Come on $16 Billion Dollar NBC write something
with a purpose.
I get the feeling that the CHURCH is ONE BIG CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION, where INCOME is NOT allocated properly to "do the the most good". Instead....someone has "placed" the IDEA of OPULENCE, and OUTWARD MANIFESTATION of WEALTH as MORE IMPORTANT than the PROPAGATION of the FAITH.
It's TRUE that they materially help a lot of people....but SOMEONE....IS "not minding the store" where OUTLAYS of MONIES are NOT carefully allocated to do the most good. Paying millions of dollars to others to "ameliorate" the OFFENSES of priests against minors.....is really a SMALL PORTION of their "Wealth"...and should NOT unbalance their FINANCIAL LEDGER.
In other words....certain SECTORS of their ECONOMY is NOT being run as EFFICIENTLY as they should. When you ALLOCATE MONEY to pay for "outside" services......being "efficient" means that..that money is being SPENT to do the most good......for the LEAST amount of money.
I guess the EXPENDITURE of FUNDS.....has more to do with the "MORAL ISSUE"....than "EFFICIENCY" itself. The "MORAL ISSUE" and "EXPENDITURE" seem to be at odds.....with one another.
cant win for losing! the church actually tries to compensate ppl for thier suffering and they still get bashed,nevermind that half the claims are nothing more than blackmailing money scams
I love some of the wildly ignorant and bigoted statements here. I am not quite sure if they are not intentional troll posts or not. If troll, anyone below average will bite... improve your talents. If not troll... get an education.
And the cover ups will continue.
tyrannosaur-3037628
Is it a troll to say this church was built on the sale of indulgences?
Is it a troll to say this church systematically abused children?
Is it a troll to say this churches policies (lies) in Africa are leading to the death of millions?
Is it a troll to say this church made a Saint of a man who burned people for owning a bible in their own language?
Is it a troll to say this church, this religion is based on bronze aged myths?
Is it a troll to say the bible is full of evil (Numbers 31, Exodus 21, Deuteronomy 22 - 25).
Is it a troll to say this church is sitting on a stack of stolen treasure from all around the world?
It would seem that YOU need an education.
Alestaire, I think you failed "arithmetic" in school. With 2,000 pounds in a ton, and 16 ounces in a pound,....... with the Catholic Church possessing THOUSANDS of TONS of gold, and gold at $1,650.00 per OUNCE,.....that sure as the world beats $8billion. capish(?sp?) ?
The author of this story knows little about the Church. The Church has had its problems over the last 2,000 years. It has perpetuated myths and superstitions, caused wars, engaged in extreme cruelty, and, most recently, covered up an abuse scandal of international proportions. However, the Church has also done more good for mankind than any other organization in history. There are those who would like to destroy it; mostly progressives whose personal contributions to charity are essentially non-existent. I love the fact that those who criticise the Church the most loudly are those who understand almost nothing about it.
fred: Think about it. Forget the stupid gold. Don't think cash flow; think assets. The Vatican vaults contain many of the most valuable treasures in history. For example, they have the original writings of Galileo. Many of the greatest artworks in history have been donated to the Church. I think they are worth trillions. Moreover, we recently did a fund raiser and built a church building for $6.5 million dollars. For 50 points tell me whose balance sheet that building is on. This goes on all over the world. This author is simply ignorant. That is what happens when a progressive who never attends church tries to evaluate the RC Church. They have no capacity to evaluate the Church-good or bad.
you have a church that years ago gays joined to become priests, to hide thier gayness. then they found choir boys and had some fun. but the priests that were not gay found willing nuns. they think they are men of god, well we got news for them, NOT! money does not make a church. and if you have that much Spred the wealth not hord it.
Sir: It must be liberating to know that, after your death, there is no judgment from God.
well there is a god but he is not supporting the church of molestation.
" after your death, there is no judgment from God."
And the evidence you have for this??? Thought so.
if we sh*tcanned every organization that had problems instead of working to try and fix it, there would be none left in the world, certainly no president or congress, no doctors, teachers or schools colleges etc.
so do they figure in how many boys you molested for the new pope? the more you have the better your chances
While in today's Catholic church it might be a disqualifying factor for a papal candidate to have actually raped young children, it would however be a huge bonus to have extensive experience in covering up the rape of children.
Apparently that's why Ratzinger was elected in the first place, and why Timothy Dolan would be an appropriate successor.
http://www.themediareport.com/fast-facts/
With it being Lent I am going to try to refrain from the use of profane language....I find it quite laughable, discouraging and downright disheartening the handling of this story! The Catholic Church is known as the church of the poor for a reason. How dare you talk of works and worth? Look around you...how many of these conglomerates and social or political entities do you see exemplifying INTEGRITY!? Who; these days, actually practice what they preach? This level of journalism is not only comically absurd and asinine at best....but also defamatory! Forget the hospitals, institutions of edcuation/learning, housing, soup kitchens and a host of other charitable NON-PROFIT efforts and implementations chartered by the catholic church! I bet the day you lie on a bed in a hospital and don't have to worry about the cost of top caliber treatment your tongue will sway and your words will change! The Church may be worth "X" amount of dollars (Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, EVEN our Mormon borthers and sisters etc..) but the works done easily surpasses the means by which they are actually done! As for separation from the church....what is right is seldomly easy! I often wonder what would happen if the church (ALL Denominations) abandoned the ideal and premise of "Dying to one's self for the sake of the beloved"! How would you have been affected if the church elected to operate in the sole interest of self preservation and selfishness; as many of us do today!....How many of you would probably be dead/ill because of godawful medical practices!? Where would we be with regard to scientific advances? How many more would starve or freeze on a cold winter's night? How much dumber would some of you be...for the lack of beneficial and benevolent AFFORDABLE education? GOD BLESS THE CHURCH! GOD BLESS THE PONTIFICATE!!! and while i'm tempted to use another term>>>>>>GOD BLESS YOU!!!
OH...and use what little intellect you may possess and use some discretion>>>DON'T COME FOR ME UNLESS I SEND FOR YOU!....A WORD TO THE WISE...IS SUFFICIENT!
and all this greatness at the expence of 100,000's little boys and some girls getting molested. Greatness has a price and the priests chose theirs. your pope could have stopped this back in the 50's and 60's when he heard about it but he coverd it up. this church needs a name change "The Church of the Cover Up".
if they all stopped all the poor and needy people all over the world! dont worry obama will take the 8 billion from you in taxes and give it to them, after of course the gov misappropriates a percetage!
LOL @ dont worry obama will take the 8 billion from you in taxes and give it to them, after of course the gov misappropriates a percetage! :-)
when last i checked pedophilia was illegal in most of the world. if there is so much evidence in a case why didnt the law arrest the priest? if a priest went up to a abortion clinic and shot someone, and the bishop transferred him dont you think the preist would still be arrested? of course he would because of the evidence, innocent until proven guilty is the way our justice system works, if we have to let 10 guilty go free so 1 innocent is not punished then so be it, until a better system of proving guilt comes along thats what we have to deal with, how far are you willing to go to punish an innocent man to get at a guilty one? just an accusation is a destructive thing for an innocent person, just moving a priest after being accused of something is a horrible punishment if you are not guilty. and im not saying bishops did not protect someone they knew was guilty and that is something they will have to live with and answer for, but how many times have we known someone's guilt but could not prove it? the glove dosent fit oj simpson? but until we come up with a magic machine that determines innocent or guilty ( lie detectors are not reliable ) we have to do the best with what we have and try to fix any problems that can be fixed without dumping the whole thing
Probably because the Catholic hierarchy never called the cops, not even once. All they did was conspire to cover up the crime, and then move the pedophile priest to a new unsuspecting community so he could rape more kids.
For example, Ratzinger is the son of a German policeman but for some reason never called the cops to tell them what he knew, but instead helped cover up the horrible crimes of Peter Hullerman in Bavaria, Stephen Kiesle in California, and Marcial Maciel in Mexico, Spain and Rome. And that's not even to mention the thousands of cases over which he had ultimate responsibility as the Prefect of the Inquisition.
A simple phone call to the cops is all it would have taken to stop a child from being raped and brutalized, but Ratzinger wouldn't lift a finger.
And what about Teachers.....Male and Female!? Coaches? and other individuals charged with the care of our children...QUITE SIMPLY IT'S THE PEOPLE NOT THE ORGANIZATION!...
http://www.themediareport.com/fast-facts/
Excellent reference....however did you pick which parts of that article you fealt were appealing and legitimate! Since it bares repeating: "QUITE SIMPLY IT'S THE PEOPLE NOT THE ORGANIZATION"....now are you about to tell me that everything listed in that article is soley attributable to the Catholic Church?
no the article states that percentages are much higher in schools and that the catholic church are relatively low
Thanks....I didn't read it thoroughly!
Actually it's the organization. Pedophiles are found wherever children are available, but it's only the Catholic church which has run a global conspiracy to hide the crimes of pedophiles and shield them from the law.
In contrast, most school administrators will call the cops when they learn of a pedophile working in their district.