…of the inexhaustible dragon’s hoard of wealth in the dungeons of the Vatican is deathless. Compare and contrast (courtesy of John Allen, Jr.):
- Operating Budget: (Vatican) $300 million Harvard ($3.7 billion)
- Endowment/Patrimony: (Vatican) $1 billion; Harvard ($30.7 billion)
Americans remain country yokels at heart when it comes to Catholic stuff. We still believe all that 19th century stuff about curtain-gliding Italian Jesuits and their vast riches, long after we ourselves have become the sleek fat superpower of Mammon.