The expenses for the funeral Of Pope Francis they will not consider neither on the Vatican coffers nor on the Italian ones, but will be entirely covered by a benefactor anonymous.
And he has already run to the Toto-Nome, with some newspapers that also brought up a legacy of the deceased Silvio Berlusconi. In reality, on the name of the donor, the Vatican hierarchies have maintained the maximum reserve.
The Testament of Bergoglio
Bergoglio wrote his testament in Santa Marta on June 29, 2022
So wrote Bergoglio:
“The expenses for the preparation of my burial will be covered with the sum of the benefactor that I ordered, to be transferred to the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and of which I have given appropriate instructions to Mons. Rolandas Makrickas, extraordinary commissioner of the Liberian chapter”.
The pontiff then expressed a desire for simplicity, in agreement with his pontifical name:
The sepulcher must be in the earth; Simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus
The sepulcher will be placed in the lateral nave of the Basilica, between the Paolina chapel and the Sforza chapel, next to the icon of the Salus Populi Romani, to which Pope Francis was deeply devoted.
Who is the anonymous benefactor
Second Affaritaliani the hypothesis Silvio Berlusconi It is the most accredited one, also considered the coverage of the mediaset networks of the disease and the death of the Pope. But if the Cav has repeatedly met Giovanni Paolo II and Benedict XVI several times, he has never met Pope Francis. But there are also rumors about the royalty of Spain, King Felipe VI And Queen Letizia.
One thing is certain: in the absence of someone who comes forward by claiming the gesture, the names in circulation at the moment must be considered mere speculations.
How much the pope’s funeral costs
The expenses for the ceremony, which include the installation of St. Peter’s Square, safety, communication and liturgical aspects, are estimated Between 1.5 and 3 million euros. Unlike the funeral of its predecessors, however, the cost of burial and funeral ceremony will be incurred by the benefactor, lifting the Vatican from any burden.
This is the detail of the main voices according to estimates based on previous papal funeral:
- Logistics – Preparation of St. Peter’s Square with chairs and Maxiskear – from 200,000 to 500,000 euros;
- Safety and Civil Protection – from 300,000 to 800,000 euros;
- communication and media – from 100,000 to 200,000 euros;
- liturgical expenses and burial – from 50,000 to 100,000.
At the expense strictly necessary for the funeral ceremony, those relating to the management of that big event which is represented by the funeral of a pontiff. If the anonymous benefactor will take care of the first, the latter will fall on the Vatican and the Italian state, each for their own shares.
5 million from the Italian state
The funeral will take place in St. Peter’s Square and an extraordinary turnout is expected: about 200,000 people and beyond 170 international delegations They will participate in what will be one of the most popular events worldwide. Among those present, the US president Donald Trump and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen were also expected.
The Ministry of the Interior and the Municipality of Rome have already prepared an extraordinary plan for security and roads, while the Italian government has allocated 5 million euros To manage the reception, entrusting the coordination to Civil Protection.
To those who, armed with a calculator, should turn up their noses, remember that the costs incurred by the Italian state will be compensated by the VAT paid by traders, restaurateurs and hoteliers and other operators who manage the presence in Rome of tens of thousands of faithful who came from all over the world.
