VATICAN CITY, JULY 11, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Peter’s Pence is not part of the Holy See’s budget, a Vatican official clarified.
“One thing is Peter’s Pence, which are donations for the Pope’s charity, and another the consolidated balance sheet of the Holy See,” said Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani during a press conference to present the Holy See’s financial statement.
“Let’s not create confusion,” the cardinal told journalists today. “That amount is not included in the balance sheet we are presenting today — although many priests also get confused.”
Cardinal Sebastiani clarified that the Holy See’s financial statement, including its organizations and dicasteries, is completely independent from that of Vatican City State, which includes its offices and museums.
He further specified that the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See (APSA) does not manage resources but only does accounting.
Asked who is responsible for expenses incurred during the time of Pope John Paul II’s funeral, through the inauguration of Benedict XVI’s pontificate, Cardinal Sebastiani replied that it is the Apostolic Camera, and that a balance sheet has yet to be prepared.
The Apostolic Camera is the Roman Curia office headed by the chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church.
The chamberlain takes charge of the goods and temporal affairs of the Holy See between the death of one pope and the election of the next. The current chamberlain is Cardinal Eduardo Martínez Somalo.
