The rich decided to choose the pope?
One of the highly erected church officials before the beginning of the conclave revealed in an interview with “Politico” that “the Vatican is looking for external financing, therefore The choice of the next pope may depend on the rich right -wing donors from the USA. ” This topic was to appear at everyday meetings of cardinals before the conclave called – general congregations.
The US lobbyed for the choice of a “appropriate” pope?
A few days before the conclave, a group of wealthy American business leaders, philanthropists and conservative activists came to Rome and the Vatican to meet with cardinals and clergy. Such a meeting took place, among others at Hotel de Russie, where the rooms cost over 2,200 dollars per night. During another, wine worth $ 100 was served for a bottle. National Catholic Reporter describes that one of the donors said during the meeting that “This room could raise a billion dollars to help the church if he had the right pope.”
Donors from the USA have been supporting the Vatican for years
Interestingly, it is the Americans who pay the most on Peter's Pence – a traditional charity fund that supports pope And the Vatican in the implementation of aid activities around the world. According to Catholic Review, the United States was the largest source of donations for this purpose in 2023 (the latest data). At that time, 13.6 million euros was transferred, which accounted for about 28 percent. all donations. In turn, in 2022 they transferred 11 million euro And they have been leaders in this respect for years.
The Vatican has financial problems
Just raising the topic of the economic condition of the Holy See is justified, because according to the budget report from the mid -2024. The Vatican has a deficit of EUR 83 million. Meanwhile, in 2022 it was 33 million euros. Basically, however, the Vatican has been operating on a deficit for years. The budget of this city-state is drained by pensions for which EUR 631 million was spent in 2022. Pope Francis, before he was hospitalized in February, ordered the appointment of a high -level committee, whose task was to encourage donations to the headquarters of the Catholic Church. In this way he wanted to deal with the financial problems of the Vatican. This idea was very divided by cardinals.
Read also: “That is the salary of the pope. How much will Leon XIV earn? Francis has renounced his salary. “
Sources: Catholic Review, National Catholic Reporter, Politico, Reuters