VATICAN CITY (CNS): Presenting a budget projection that foresees a deficit of US$37.1 million [$281.2 million] in 2022, Jesuit Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, the prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, said he believes the Vatican is on the path to honesty and transparency in financial matters.
“We are well aware that we have made major mistakes in financial management, which have undermined the credibility of the Holy See. We seek to learn from them, and we believe we have remedied them so that they do not happen again,” the prefect told Vatican News.
On January 28, the secretariat released the Vatican’s 2022 Mission Budget, reflecting a new approach to reporting the income and expenses of the offices of the Roman Curia and related institutions. The budget includes not just the Vatican Secretariat of State, apostolic nunciatures around the globe and the dicasteries, councils and commissions of the Roman Curia, but also entities that “are either the property of the Holy See or depend on and are under the financial responsibility of the Holy See,” Father Guerrero said.
The combined budget of the 60 entities that were part of the previous Holy See budget would have been close to €300 million [$2.6 billion] for 2022, but with the addition of the 30 new entities, the combined budget for 2022 is close to €800 million [$6.95 billion], he said.
