World News
2006 Vatican budget closes with surplus; Peter's Pence up $42 million
Published: July 3, 2007
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican's 2006 budget closed with a surplus of more than $3.2 million, but the biggest surprise in the year's financial report was a huge jump in donations to Peter's Pence, the collection given directly to the pope for charitable and other activities of his choice. The international Council of Cardinals for the Study of the Organizational and Economic Problems of the Holy See met July 2 at the Vatican. A July 3 statement on the cardinals' meeting said the 2006 donations to Peter's Pence totaled almost $102 million, an increase of more than $42.4 million over 2005. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the figure was correct and would be explained July 6 when the Vatican presented a fuller version of its budget figures to the press. The July 3 statement contained only the bottom-line figures for the budgets of the Holy See and of Vatican City State as well as for donations to Peter's Pence and from dioceses to offset Vatican operational costs.
Copyright (c) Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .
