VATICAN CORNER
Vatican Press Office announced on November 9, 2017 that Pope Francis has decided to put a stop to the sale of cigarettes and tobacco in its duty-free stores. The reason given was that the Holy See “cannot be cooperating with a practice that is clearly harming the health of people.” The press statement referred to the World Health Organization’s statistics that state that complications from smoking causes more than seven million deaths worldwide every year. The Vatican’s statement acknowledged that tobacco sales have been an important revenue source, but they said “no profit can be legitimate if it is costing people their lives.” A 2015 book based on leaked Vatican documents, “Avarice” stated that tobacco sales were the second most important income source after tax-free gas sales, and tobacco sales is estimated to bring in 11 million dollars annually. The book went on to report that those sales were an example of how the Vatican’s tax-free commercial activities were being abused. Italy has a value added sales tax (VAT) of 22%, so anyone who can manage to get a Vatican “commercial card” and make their purchases in the Vatican instead, does so. Cardholders can fill their tanks at the Vatican gas station, buy their groceries at the Vatican supermarket, get their prescriptions filled at the Vatican pharmacy and buy their flat-screen TVs at the Vatican department store, all tax free. The Vatican “commercial card” is intended only for employees, retirees, residents, accredited diplomats and members of religious congregations. Since there are around 5,000 employees, you would not expect that an audit performed in 2013 would find that there were 41,000 “commercial cards” in use, as was reported in “Avarice.” Cardholders are limited to purchasing only 80 boxes of cigarettes a year. However, that audit is said to have found 278 clients exceeding that number. The book “Avarice” makes the allegation that cardholders are reselling their cigarettes illegally in Italy and making a nice unreported profit. Smoking is practically considered a national vice in Italy. The Italian government believes that reselling is taking place, and they complain to the Vatican about their lost tax income. The Vatican said that the ban on cigarettes and tobacco will begin at the start of the New Year, but the sale of large cigars would continue for the present time since the smoke is not inhaled. Smoking in enclosed places was officially banned in the Vatican in 2002, although violations are plentiful. The ban will bring the Vatican closer to other European countries which have comprehensive smoke-free laws. Pope Francis doesn’t smoke, and he actually has only one lung. As a teenager after a bout with an infection, one lung was removed probably because the doctors thought it would stop the spread of the infection, since antibiotic treatments were probably not available in those days. Anyway, plenty of Pope Francis’s colleagues do smoke, and they won’t be happy come the new year when they have to buy their cigarettes elsewhere.
Sources: news.va, nypost.com, associated press, breitbart.com, cruxnow.com, catholicnewsagency.com