How much does a Catholic priest earn?


Communion and clergyman.

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MEXICO CITY.- The Vatican is the City State, the territory, where the Holy See is located, which is the legal organization that heads the Catholic Church, although both terms are often used interchangeably.

Given this particular legal situation and the impossibility of having productive activities due to its size of only 0.44 square kilometers, no Gross Domestic Product is reported for the Vatican State . , but manages a budget with income and expenses, like a company.

The income of the Catholic Church, which in 2011 was estimated by the World Factbook of the United States Intelligence Agency at 455.5 million dollars , comes from the sale of tourist products, books and the entrance to the Vatican Museums, in the State , and from the money that comes from abroad through the contributions of Catholics around the world.

How much does a Catholic priest earn?

Since July 8, 2014, the economic affairs of the Holy See have been the responsibility of the Ministry of the Economy, a secretariat created by Pope Francis to replace the Patrimony Administration of the Apostolic See, in the face of demands for transparency.

No financial information on this Secretariat was found on the Vatican website.

The Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) does have financial statements to know its situation. This institution, commonly known as the Vatican Bank , has the purpose of financing the activities of local churches in the poorest countries, where the contributions of its members are not enough to cover the expenses.

As administrator, the IOR has the power to administer and transfer the resources, in addition to investing them, mainly in low-risk assets such as government bonds.

According to the 2014 Annual Report, the most recently published, the IOR had assets of 3,210 million euros , including 567.4 million in cash and banks, and 1,718 million in financial assets.

While the operating income for the year was 104.5 million euros and the profit for the year was 69.3 million euros . However, this institution is not for profit and the profits are reinvested or used for its social work. 

In 2014 dollar terms, revenue is $133.29 million, and earnings are $88.39 million.

As for the exact amount of money that the Catholic Church has in its possession or how much the buildings and works of art it owns are worth, it is difficult to calculate and possibly no one knows with absolute certainty .


Casey Harward

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