how rich the vatican really is?

Answer 1

I don't think any precise information is available. However, the Boston MA archdiocese recently published its financial statements (June 2005) as part of its effort to recover respect after the pedophile epidemic.

The statements show net worth of $330 million; however, this includes RE valued at about only $300 million after more than $850 million in accumulated depreciation. In other words, the accounting method used is "cost less depreciation". It's probably safe to assume that the actual market value of their RE is over $1 billion. Possibly much more.

Annual revenues were more that $300 million, including over $100 million from church collections alone.

In addition, there are dozens of "related organizations" which are listed seperately, such as their schools, hospitals, TV stations, etc. Unfortunately, there is no all-in-one consolidated financial statement like corporations are required to file.

So I just looked at the TV station, and the Common Investment Fund Trust, as examples. The TV station has net worth of more than $30 million. And the Investment Trust has $175 million in assets owned by the diocese.

OK, so the Boston archdiocese is enormously wealthy - probably more than $1 billion in terms of market value. It is one of the larger diocese, of which there are more than 2,700 throughout the world.

Start doing some rough calculations here and the church worldwide could easily be worth more than $1 trillion. And this does not even include the vast wealth of the vatican itself, it's real estate, art collection, and hords of gold.

Answer 2

That is impossible to know. Not just because of accounting tricks but because after a certain point it gets beyond calculating the asset values, the liability costs or even the flow rates. If the Church was to divest itself of property that would likely be a large enough move in most markets to alter all of its other property values. If it moves large sums into or out of currency markets it disturbs them, changing its own value of money that it did not move. Way to complicated to try to count. The Church has been past the point of counting money for centuries. Instead it counts power, the ability to have things its way.

Answer 3

The vatican has more money than Bill Gates.

Answer 4

It is a common myth that the Vatican is wealthy, but it really isn't.

Answer 5

Ever see those episodes of Duck Tales where scrooge McDuck swims in his gold ?

Sorta like that

Answer 6

Richer than Devil himself

Answer 7

really rich...and i mean reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaallyy rich!!

Answer 8

it's a secret

Answer 9

rich as hell...