Pope Francis has found a way of clearing out the
unwanted and unneeded gifts he receives and at the same
time raising money for the poor. The Vatican began selling
raffle tickets for a chance to win one of those unwanted
gifts. Sales began in November, making a ticket the perfect
gift for Christmas. Tickets cost 10 Euros – about $12.50
and were sold at the Vatican post office and pharmacy but
not on the Internet or anywhere outside of Vatican City.
The grand prize was a new white Fiat Panda 4×4 small
SUV fully loaded. There were also thirty consolation prizes
include: a tandem bike, a video camera, an expresso
machine, a silver pen, a leather briefcase and a Panama hat.
The prizes give a window into just what sort of presents
people give the Pope. Future raffles may be held if this first
one proves successful. Thousands of euros are expected to
go to the Papal Almoner – Bishopo Krajewski, who will
travel to the poor areas of Rome and distributes money,
gifts and food.
Vatican reformers have discovered hundreds of millions
of euros that did not appear on the Vatican balance sheets
says Cardinal George Pell, the Australian conservative that
Pope Francis chose earlier in 2014 to put the Vatican’s
finances in order. Secretive accounting practices and
fiercely guarded departmental independence have kept
“some hundreds of millions of euros tucked away in
particular sectional accounts. The Vatican’s finances are
much healthier than many had thought, Pell writes. “It is
important to point out that the Vatican is not broke. Apart
from the pension fund, which needs to be strengthened for
the demands on it in 15 or 20 years, the Holy See is paying
its way, while possessing substantial assets and
investments.” In February Pope Francis created a new
Council of the Economy to monitor all economic and
administrative activities of the Holy See and created the
Secretariat of the Economy to provide administrative
oversight and to carry out the guidelines of the council.
Cardinal Pell was appointed its president. Pell released a
45-page manual, “Financial Management Policies,” that
spells out new rules for budgeting and financial reporting
that all Vatican offices must follow beginning Jan. 1, 2015.
The intent of the manual is to modernize and
internationalize the Vatican bureaucracy while reducing its
overall size, improve checks and balances and increase
transparency and oversight by laypeople. Pell says,
“Donors expect their gifts to be handled efficiently and
honestly, so that the best returns are achieved to finance the
works of the Church, especially those aimed at preaching
the Gospel and helping the poor escape from poverty. A
Church for the poor should not be poorly managed.” Pell
says Pope Francis wants a “poor church for the poor,” but
that “doesn’t necessarily mean a church with empty coffers,
and it certainly doesn’t mean a church that is sloppy or
inefficient or open to being robbed.”
Source: The dailybeast.com & National Catholic Reporter
Vatican Corner 1-11-15
