VATICAN CITY —The Vatican has returned to profit after three years in the red but donations from the faithful fell nearly euro15 million ($22 million), or 18 percent, amid tough economic times and a year in which the priest sex abuse scandal exploded.
The Vatican issued its annual financial report Saturday, saying it made a profit of euro9.85 million ($14.3 million) in 2010 following a loss of euro4.01 million ($5.8 million) a year earlier and losses in 2007 and 2008.
Revenues were euro245.2 million ($356.1 million) against expenses of euro235.35 million ($341.8 million). In a statement, the Vatican said the results showed a continuing positive trend that began in 2009 but was hampered then by the effects of the global financial downturn.
The separately administered Vatican city state also turned a euro21.04 million ($30.6 million) profit, thanks primarily to booming ticket sales at the Vatican Museums.
But donations from individuals worldwide, the so-called Peter's Pence, were down US$14.8 million at US$67.70 million in 2010, an 18 percent drop from the year before. No explanation was given in the statement.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Vatican officials believed the main reasons for the decrease were related to the lingering effects of the financial crisis on Catholics' ability to donate, and the fact that two donations of a few million dollars apiece from individuals in 2009 weren't repeated in 2010.
The abuse scandal also erupted in 2010 in Europe, traditionally a top source of donations after the U.S. Tens of thousands of people have either formally or informally left the Catholic Church in the wake of reports that priests sexually abused thousands of young people and bishops covered up the crimes.
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