Man, where's Saint Mother Teresa when you need her?*
From the newish Irish Star (Reach PLC), December 17:
The Vatican has found itself in the middle of a critical financial crisis, which threatens to jeopardize the livelihood of retired clergy and staff worldwide
The Vatican has found itself in an unprecedented financial crisis as of late and according to reports, it was caused by a decline in donations.
The Vatican, which is the global headquarters of the Catholic Church, may be on the brink of bankruptcy, according to the Daily Express. A combination of factors brought about the crisis, but many blame the management of Pope Francis, who became the 266th pope in 2013.
A decade later, in 2023, the Vatican reported an operating deficit of $87 million. The number had increased by $5.3 million in the span of a year. This is one of the largest debts the Vatican has ever accumulated, and it jeopardizes the livelihoods of retired clergy and staff.
The Vatican is not exempt from experiencing the same financial crises as the rest of the world. It found itself embroiled in debt after the European recession in 2012 and once again during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. One of the Vatican’s most valuable assets is its investments in gold. Because the price of gold has decreased [sic!] in recent years, it leaves their economy vulnerable....
....MUCH MORE
*And Mother Teresa?
One of the all-time great headlines....
Perhaps the Vatican Bank could raise their ATM fees ahead of next year's big party:
June 2017
Yesterday I Learned About ATMs
It started with Paul Murphy at Alphaville's Markets Live:...
...Which of course lead to the question "Do the Vatican Bank ATM's really have instructions in Latin?"
(I had heard that from a less-than-reliable-source)
As it turns out, the answer is:
Yes, Latin is one of the language options.
In fact there's even a TIL thread at reddit.
Which managed to stay on topic for about four comments:
Pope: Why do I have to push "1" for Latin? It should only be Latin! If you're gonna come here, learn the language! Foreigners!
"And then they ask 'Are you sure you want to withdraw $DCXLII?'"
"$642? The ATMs in the Vatican give out ones!?"
Smallest note in the EU is €5 Maybe it's €640 and two Hail Marys?
"Romanes eunt domus."
The line is "People called 'Romanes' they go the house." "Romanes" is not a Latin word; he pluralized a second declension word as if it were third declension, so it doesn't translate to anything.
"Eunt?? What is eunt???"
3rd person plural present active of the verb 'eo, ire', meaning to go.
And from there it just descended into madness.
Until Il Papa decided to show off by making a withdrawal:
