He Pope Francisco continues to move away from the secrecy that in the past dominated Vatican finances and donations and on the occasion of the Pope’s day of charity a report has been published on what was received through well-known sources. Peter’s Pence. This Father’s Dayon the day of Saints Peter and Paul, translates into a collection that is celebrated in churches around the world around this date, this year with the motto: “Rejoice in hope, be firm in tribulation, persevere in prayer” (Rom 12:12).
Faced with the lack of transparency that has prevailed in the organization that has been affected by The crisis that has erupted with the management of finances at the State Secretariat and his subsequent trial; The campaign, its promoters reiterate, “encloses the Pope’s tireless invitation in this historical period: to never lose hope and turn with faith to God in all the trials we go through” and, the Vatican points out in a statement, “it is an opportunity to pray in a special way for Pope Francis, and the contribution raised will serve to support his mission.”
Fall in contributions
Specifically in 2023 Donations amounted to around 52 million euroswith 109.4 million euros allocated to the Pope’s charitable works. In 2022, 107 million euros were raised – more than double that of last year – and 95.5 million were invested. It must also be said that the volume of income in 2022 increased considerably due to a significant capital gain thanks to the sale of properties. In the first public report, in 2021, contributions were 46.9 million and 65.3 million euros were spent. Returning to 2023, The main entries, 48.4 million, come from the collections of this day, legacies from inheritances and directly through the Óbolo website. As for the donors, the dioceses account for 64.4% – won by a landslide by the United States, which accounts for 28.1% of that percentage, followed by Italy with 6.4%; Spain closes the top 10 below the Czech Republic with 0.8%–, private entities 4.4%, foundations 28.8% and religious orders 2.4%.
Regarding contributions, 103 million euros – more than three and a half million coming from the assets generated – have been allocated to the apostolic missions of the Holy See and 13 million to support projects of direct assistance to those most in need. Europe stands out among the recipients, but because it finances many scholarships for priests, seminarians and religious from other regions to study at pontifical universities. Included in the 2023 report are the 800,000 euros destined for UkraineThe Vatican is also responsible for promoting some projects in the younger dioceses, having supported the construction of cathedrals and other facilities in Guatemala, Tanzania, Albania, Rwanda, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
directly to 90 million euros have been allocated to the Pope’s apostolic missionthrough services and administration, management of assets and support for this mission through the expenses of the 68 entities between dicasteries, entities and organizations – such as nunciatures or academic institutions – at the service of the Pope. Thus, The Curia has received 370.4 million euros in 2023, of which about 90 million euros (that is, 24%) were covered by the Obolo.
