Million dollar donation rejected: Vatican does not want money from the arms industry

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Pope Francis has rejected a $1 million donation from the arms industry, according to a newspaper report. According to information from the daily newspaper “La Repubblica” (Friday), the Vatican renounced a donation of 1.5 million euros from the Italian arms company Leonardo in order to avoid conflict. Only in his Christmas speech did the head of more than 1.4 billion Catholics denounce the arms industry as the winner of the war.

According to the company, the donation was intended for the Vatican Children’s Hospital, the Bambino Gesù Clinic, for the purchase of a new medical device for computed tomography. The money now went to another children’s clinic in the Italian port city of Genoa. With more than 50,000 employees and an annual turnover of around 15 billion euros, Leonardo is one of the largest defense companies in the world. The Italian state has a 30 percent stake.

In his Christmas speech, Francis accused the industry of profiting from wars and conflicts. He spoke of “the machinations of the evil one opposing the divine light, in the shadow of hypocrisy and secrecy.” The profits of the ‘masterminds of the wars’ must be made public. According to information from “La Repubblica”, the donation should be made before Christmas. The Vatican’s no caused “quite a bit of surprise” among the company’s top management, the newspaper reported. (SDA)

Source: Blick