I guess it is all relative. . .

“The Vatican has an annual operating budget of under $300 million, while Harvard University, arguably the Vatican of elite secular opinion, has a budget of $3.7 billion, meaning it’s ten times greater. The Vatican’s ‘patrimony,’ what other institutions would call an endowment, is around $1 billion. In this case, Harvard’s ahead by a robust factor of thirty, with an endowment of $30.7 billion.”

Funny how those who love throwing stones at churches are not found outside Harvard casting aspersions upon their conspicuous consumption... And for a great deal FEWER folks than the impact of the Vatican budget...

I have oft complained about bloated bureaucracies, especially within the Church, but the truth is that even when we have duplications and inefficiencies, it is on a small scale compared to other institutions...

Reminds me when I heard someone at a church meeting complain that we spent $1200 on postage.  "Why I don't think I even spend $100 on postage -- Christmas cards included."  When I reminded the member that since we had 300 families, proportion would expect that we ought to spend $30,000 on postage only to be as frugal and judicious in our expenses as he was for his family, the discussion came to a hasty end.

Of course there are wasted funds and inefficiencies -- at the Vatican in Rome and the one in St. Louis at 1333 S. Kirkwood Road...  But lets get real.  The problems in the Church are not like the blind expenditures of a federal government out of control or a Harvard University accustomed to lavish living.  No, the financial problems in the Church are not even from too little giving.  More like too much keeping.  And too much expenses on self for those who keep more than they ought from the Lord and His Church...