The 19th Century American Know Nothing Myth…

…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.