Vatican Finances by Corrado Pallenberg

Vatican Finances

by Corrado Pallenberg

Pelican Books, 1973, ISBN 0140214763, paperback

Very Good Condition, a little edge and shelf wear, a little rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, age toned pages, (see photographs)

“The Vatican State itself only houses 880 people, 1 Pope, 5 dogs and a parrot, but it is a Goliath in economic terms.  It  administers millions, uses sixteen banks and pays its Cardinals like international directors.  Yet few records are kept in this vast financial domain; certainly none are open to public scrutiny.
Corrado Pallenberg aims in this book to unravel the mystery of the Vatican finances.  He surveys the historical basis of its wealth, breaks down the economic structure of the Holy See, and scrutinizes the men – performance-minded Cardinals and quiet lay bankers – who lie closest to the Papal heart.  Just how much money do they control?  And how heavily is the ‘Church of the Poor’ committed to huge capitalistic enterprises – to Immobiliare (Italy; s biggest real-estate business), to General Motors and IBM, to Bethlehem Steel, General Electric…and to the glittering international world of the Rothschilds?.”