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Vatican Ran $13 Million Deficit In '07

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The Associated Press

Published: July 10, 2008

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican ran a deficit in 2007, hurt by the weak dollar in collection baskets from U.S. faithful and steep costs of running its media, the Holy See said Wednesday.

The Vatican issued financial figures showing a nearly $13.5 million deficit last year.

It cited the sharp drop in the exchange rate for the U.S. dollar. The Vatican in Rome pays many of its expenses in euros, a currency which has soared against the U.S. dollar.

The financial report, released by the Holy See's press office, listed revenue of $371.97 million against expenses of $386.27 million.

The Vatican said its financial investments were hurt "principally by the sharp and rather marked inversion in exchange rates, above all for the U.S. dollar."

The budgets of the three previous years were all in the black.

The Vatican said rents and other income from its vast real estate holdings helped its finances.

The Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel, a top tourist attraction, also helped the Holy See's finances. Some 4.3 million people visited the museums in 2007.

But the costs of running Vatican Radio and the Vatican newspaper figured in a $22.9 million deficit in its media division.

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