The Vatican and Pope Francis: truths about their net worth

Every religion influences our beliefs. The belief varies from one individual to another. That said, in a majority of countries, we are mostly free of believing what we want, as long as it doesn’t harm anybody. The Vatican City, a city-state within Rome, houses some of the most beautiful pieces of art and architecture in the world. Besides its art and museums, it is best known as the home of the Pope and the Catholic Church. However, what is hiding behind the Roman Catholic Church headquarters? How wealthy and pious the Vatican and Pope Francis really are? Let’s find out in the following article.

The importance of the Vatican and the Pope

Being a city-state of Rome, the Vatican has a rather small population. Most of its people are devoted and play a significant part in the economy. Indeed, Vatican people place their beliefs in the Pope and the Church and cater to every financial necessity. As the population is loaded with such great contributors, the worth of the higher-ups grows more than what people around the world may expect.

Moreover, Pope Francis is a worshiped worldwide celebrity. He is also one of the most notable public figures, even for non-believers. It is important to know that the Vatican mints its own euros, issues its own passports, and licenses its own plates. The government is an absolute monarchy, and Pope Francis is at the head of it all.

The Vatican city’s wealth

The Vatican is not only one of the richest countries in the world, but also a pilgrimage location for all Catholics, regardless of their home country. Statistics suggest that the state’s total assets are worth around $15 billion. Surprising that such a small state can become so wealthy, isn’t it?

There are 3 main reasons why Vatican city’s wealth is so strong:

1. As the city-state owns valued assets, it is also the center of attraction for tourists, which adds up to the overall value of the Vatican. Before the COVID pandemic, thousands of tourists were visiting the Vatican and its Museums. Unfortunately, it is now a bit more complicated due to the global pandemic.

2. The city-state owns valuable artwork by honored artists like Michelangelo and Raphael, which makes the price of the artworks increase with time. Therefore, the value of the assets is always growing.

3. The city gains a number of investments from both native and foreign investors. There are some investment giants such as Shell, Gulf Oil, General Electric, etc. These investments are generally worth millions, but that’s not all! The city also invests in several things, such as:

• Stocks
• Bonds
• Real Estate

How rich is Pope Francis?

Pope Francis is known to everyone around the world due to his humble personality. The movie ‘Two Popes’ showed his story when he asked Pope Benedict XVI to remain as the leader. He then became the Pope when times were tough, and meanwhile, there were assertions of misconduct by the popedom. He made all the rumors placated and maintained peace in the city.

His good heart adds to his worth substantially and makes it easy for people to place their trust in him. Even though Pope Francis gained a lot of trust and worth, he never went crazy with expenses. On the contrary, he stayed quite a modest man who believes in living a humble life. Furthermore, he does not believe in the haughty representation of popedom. This could be the reason why his total assets are a bit smaller than his forerunners. The total assets of Pop Francis are calculated to be approximately $25 to $28 million.

The Catholic Church’s wealth

As Pope Francis has such a big influence around the world, you might wonder how much is worth the Catholic Church and its assets. In fact, it is a really difficult question to answer. Indeed, it is absolutely impossible to tell how much money the Catholic Church holds. Furthermore, in the 1960s, Italian media had revealed that the Vatican was devoted to their religion and that it was very costly to maintain.

Nevertheless, there is actually a question that can be answered which is how rich the Vatican Bank is? In 2014, the Vatican had announced that they were holding around $3.89 billion. However, it is still almost impossible to count the Catholic Church’s total assets as they manage not only the churches, but also the cathedrals, and many other buildings spread across the world.

To conclude, please take note that the information regarding these numbers is not always 100% exact, as the wealth of the Vatican is in constant change. That said, we hope that this article has answered all your questions on the Vatican’s wealth and Pop Francis. Who would have known that the Pope was so rich?