Alright, let’s dive in and give this a whirl. Here we go:
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So, picture this—Conrad Hilton, yeah, the hotel guy, cooked up this foundation that’s been throwing cash at Catholic sisters everywhere. Big bucks, like $28.5 million, mostly since 2020. They love the Vatican projects. Sister Jane? She’s all in, doesn’t care who’s wearing the pope hat next. They’re committed, ride-or-die style, to keep lovin’ those Catholic sisters and making it rain on Vatican efforts.
Now, Pope Francis—he’s got a twist. Donors? He’s not just sweet-talking them for charity crumbs. Nope. He wants them to fix the Vatican’s shaky piggy bank. February rolls around, and while he’s bouncing back from a nasty fight with double pneumonia, he sets up this fancy Commissio de Donationibus pro Sancta Sede. Basically, a team to hustle funds straight for the Vatican’s behind-the-scenes bigwigs. It’s a bold move, screaming, “Hey, fund our church bureaucracy and those globe-trotting missions.”
Honestly, asking for that? Crazy tough when Francis first took the reins.
Think back—the Vatican’s finances? A total mess. Scandals swirling around the bank, stuff was sketchy. 2013, just before Francis showed up, things were locked down—A.T.M.s shut, credit cards useless at the Vatican Museum. Italy’s banking bosses were like, “Prove you’re not washing dirty money, or else.” Years of being reckless with cash and corruption dramas left scars.
Seemed like the church needed a business genius as much as a spiritual leader.
Francis steps up and shakes things up. In his first year, he whips up a plan to get their finances in line—auditors, strict rules, all that jazz. Sure, it’s not Wall Street level, but he got big guns like KPMG and EY to give guidance. Making sure the Holy See doesn’t blow all its dough.
And, oh man, the donors started playing bigger roles in church dealings.
The Vatican’s been throwing big impact-investing parties, pulling in cash from Wall Street types for Francis’s fave causes. The pope’s out there now, not just chilling at the Vatican. In 2023? Yeah, he’s chatting at the Clinton Global Initiative, rubbing shoulders with the big-time crowd.
Crazy ride, right?
