Vatican City, Feb 19, 2021 / 05:40 am
The Vatican said on Friday that it expects to record a deficit of around $60 million in 2021 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Secretariat for the Economy said in a Feb. 19 statement that Pope Francis had approved this year's budget on Thursday evening.
It said: "With total revenues of 260.4 million euros [$316 million] and expenses of 310.1 million euros [$376 million], the Holy See expects a deficit of 49.7 million euros [$60 million] in 2021, heavily impacted by the economic crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic."
The secretariat emphasized that the Vatican budget consolidated both the Peter's Pence Fund and all dedicated funds for the first time. It said that this step was taken to give "more visibility and transparency to the economic transactions of the Holy See -- as repeatedly requested by the Holy Father."