Does a Pope Make Money?

The Pope works but does not earn any money 

Managers have top salaries and everyone who performs well in working life wants to be rewarded for it. With the highest "manager" of the Catholic Church, however, everything is a little different.

• The Pope doesn't make any money. This means that he is not paid for his services with a monthly payment to a salary account.
• The Pope does not pay into any pension fund. Because normally a pope is elected by the cardinals for life. Therefore, he does not need any pension payments that will finance his life after office.
• If a Pope resigns, as Pope Benedict did, the Vatican continues to pay for his life.
• The Vatican pays all the Pope's expenses so that he doesn't need his own money. He is even forbidden to accumulate wealth during his tenure.


Does the president's secret book exist? - theories

For 90 minutes, the "Legacy of the Secret Book" is about hardly anything else: ...

instagram viewer
• Food, drink, clothing and health care costs are also borne by the Vatican.
• When the Pope travels, everything is also taken care of. As a rule, the Pope does not have his own wallet either.
• The Pope does not have to pay rent for his private rooms in the Vatican either. Neither is it for the papal staff who take care of all the Holy Father's needs.

Even if the Pope does not earn any money, it is possible that he already has his own fortune before he is elected Pope. He can use this wealth as he wishes.

Books and lectures - the more secular work of the Pope

In addition to church services and high church activities, today's popes also write books and give lectures.

• When the Pope is writing a book, you can usually buy it in bookshops. Like every other author, the Pope is entitled to royalties, i.e. money for the books he has sold.
• So the Pope makes money writing books. The Pope donates all of this money to charity. Because he is not allowed to generate wealth while he is in office.
• The same is true when the Pope lectures and is paid for it. This money is also donated to charity.
• The Pope doesn't make any money, but he has his own bank. The "Istituto per le Opere di Religione" - Institute for Religious Works - makes an annual profit of a few million euros. The Pope does not keep this money for himself either, but makes it available to the Vatican budget.

In earlier times the popes did not always live so modestly. For example, they had large, splendid chapels built that were very expensive. For example Pope Sixtus IV, who had the Sistine Chapel built.