Why does the pope live so lavishly?

Answer 1

The pope does not live lavishly. The Papal Apartments are rather spartan in their furnishings. However, Pope Francis has decided to forgo living in the Papal Apartments and has chosen to live in a small, comfortable apartment in the Casa Santa Marta which was built to house visiting dignitaries to the Vatican and the cardinals during a papal conclave.


Pope Francis is perhaps the first pope since the fourth century not to live ostentatiously. He found the 19-room Papal Apartments in the Apostolic Palace too opulent for his liking, so he chose to live in a smaller but still quite comfortable apartment in Casa Santa Marta. He refused to wear some of the fine apparel and gold, jewel-encrusted mitres favoured by his predecessors.

Pope Francis usually even eats in the canteen, although some say this is to avoid the alleged fate of Pope John Paul I. At least for Pope Francis, it is not true that he lives more lavishly than is appropriate for the leader of a worldwide religious organisation.

Answer 2

The pope actually lives quite simply. His apartment is simply furnished, almost Spartan. He receives no 'pay check' as all his needs are met by the Vatican. Of course, he is surrounded by a wealth of precious art work that has been accumulated over many centuries by the Church but none of this is the personal property of the pope. Chances are, if the pope were to sneak out at night to grab a hamburger or a glass of wine at a local establishment he would not have the money in his pocket to pay for it.

Popes have endless wealth at their disposal. For example, Paul Hoffman (Anatomy of the Vatican) says that Pope Paul VI found the Vatican's numerous, priceless Rennaisance artworks not to his liking. He spent a fortune scouting the art markets in Europe and in the United States for works to buy, such that in 1973, in an exhibition of modern religious art in the Vatican, these works occupied more than fifty rooms and included paintings by Ben Shahn, Chagall and Kokoschka; ceramics by Picasso, graphics by Klee and Kandinski, and six hundred other works. It was of no concern that the money could have been put to other uses.

Pope Francis is perhaps the first pope since the fourth century not to live ostentatiously. He found the 19-room Papal Apartments in the Apostolic Palace too opulent for his liking, so he chose to live in a smaller but still quite comfortable apartment in Casa Santa Marta. He refused to wear some of the fine apparel and gold, jewel-encrusted mitres favoured by his predecessors. Pope Francis usually even eats in the canteen. Although Pope Francis is unlikely to attempt to use the enormous wealth of the Vatican for charitable purposes, it is not true that he lives more lavishly than is appropriate for the leader of a worldwide religious organisation.

Answer 3

The pope does not live lavishly. The Papal Apartments are rather spartan in their furnishings. However, Pope Francis has decided to forgo living in the Papal Apartments and has chosen to live in a small, comfortable apartment in the Casa Santa Marta which was built to house visiting dignitaries to the Vatican and the cardinals during a papal conclave.

Answer 4

The pope actually lives quite simply. His apartment is simply furnished, almost Spartan. He receives no 'pay check' as all his needs are met by the Vatican. Of course, he is surrounded by a wealth of precious art work that has been accumulated over many centuries by the Church but none of this is the personal property of the pope. Chances are, if the pope were to sneak out at night to grab a hamburger or a glass of wine at a local establishment he would not have the money in his pocket to pay for it.

Answer 5

Pope Francis is perhaps the first pope since the fourth century not to live ostentatiously. He found the 19-room Papal Apartments in the Apostolic Palace too opulent for his liking, so he chose to live in a smaller but still quite comfortable apartment in Casa Santa Marta. He refused to wear some of the fine apparel and gold, jewel-encrusted mitres favoured by his predecessors.

Pope Francis usually even eats in the canteen, although some say this is to avoid the alleged fate of Pope John Paul I. At least for Pope Francis, it is not true that he lives more lavishly than is appropriate for the leader of a worldwide religious organisation.

Answer 6

Popes have endless wealth at their disposal. For example, Paul Hoffman (Anatomy of the Vatican) says that Pope Paul VI found the Vatican's numerous, priceless Rennaisance artworks not to his liking. He spent a fortune scouting the art markets in Europe and in the United States for works to buy, such that in 1973, in an exhibition of modern religious art in the Vatican, these works occupied more than fifty rooms and included paintings by Ben Shahn, Chagall and Kokoschka; ceramics by Picasso, graphics by Klee and Kandinski, and six hundred other works. It was of no concern that the money could have been put to other uses.

Pope Francis is perhaps the first pope since the fourth century not to live ostentatiously. He found the 19-room Papal Apartments in the Apostolic Palace too opulent for his liking, so he chose to live in a smaller but still quite comfortable apartment in Casa Santa Marta. He refused to wear some of the fine apparel and gold, jewel-encrusted mitres favoured by his predecessors. Pope Francis usually even eats in the canteen. Although Pope Francis is unlikely to attempt to use the enormous wealth of the Vatican for charitable purposes, it is not true that he lives more lavishly than is appropriate for the leader of a worldwide religious organisation.