THE PAPAL REVENUE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2322, 28 May 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE PAPAL REVENUE.

A fokfjox diplomatist accredited to Rome gives the following account of the present Pope's income and what he ifo»s with it: The Pontifical revenue is derived from throe separate sources. The first is the enormous sum left by Pope Pius IX to the Papal Treasury, of which interest producessomo £120,000 The capital of this is invested in English Government funds. To the revnue left by Pius IX must be added a sum almost equal in amount furnished by the Petor's Pence fund, which, however has fallen off of late years. This constitutes the ordinary budget of the Holy See as distinguished from the extraordinary budget. The latter is derived from a third source, and is supplied by the receipts of tho Apostolic Chancellory. The collation of titles of nobility, decorations, blessings in articido mortis, altar privileges, private chapels, ecclesiastical titles—such are a few of tho items which go to make up tho extraordinary budget. It amounts to an average of £100,000 per annum, and serves to make up the private purse of the Sovereign Pontiff, and on which he relies to exercise his generosity. The ordinary budget of the Holy See, which! as stated above, amounts to £240,000 per annum, is distributed by the major domo of the Vatican among the Cardinals residing in Rome--about £1000 a year each—the prelates of the Papal Court, tho secretaries, the nuncios, the Pontifical body-guards, etc. : It is said that no Pope has been so liberal as Leo XIII, who spends large sums of money in erecting schools, relieving tho poor, maintaining the Catholic Press, and raising the, prestige of his court. He denies himself every luxury, his stable resembles that of a poor country curate. As yet he lias not touched a penny of the annual allowance of £120,000 accorded to tho Vatican under the law of Papal Guarantees, passed when Victor Ernanuel took possession of Rome. The anuual income has gone on accumulating throughout all those seventeen years, and fiow reaches an Piiormous sum.