New Vatican figures show deficit narrowed by half in 2015

Associated Press
Pope Francis speaks with Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, on the occasion of an audience with the participants of an international meeting on sacred music, in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, March 4, 2017. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP) /

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican has issued new figures showing it narrowed its deficit by half in 2015 to 12.4 million euros ($13 million).

That compares with a deficit of 25.6 million euros in 2014. The Vatican released the figures for 2015 on Saturday but didn't include fuller details as it has in previous years, citing a transition in its financial accounting system that also delayed disclosure of the 2015 figures.

The Vatican also reported 24 million euros in contributions from Roman Catholic dioceses, up from 21 million a year earlier, and 50 million euros from the Vatican bank, the same as the previous year.

The Vatican city-state, which includes the post office, museums and other activities, posted a surplus of 59.9 million euros, down 6 percent from the year before. The Vatican didn't offer details like how much the museum earned or personnel costs.

The financial disclosure for 2016 is expected in July.