text: "...Vatican finances."
  
  I don't either except through friends. Assessment of the Vatican, however, intrigues, often depends upon a concept of proportion (international and regional), upon comparative administrative size for doing good, reaching out to whole church community, upon its history, legacy, etc. Analysis of these things makes for a kind of speculative unity, as it were, if only to get an handle on its global affairs, or learn more about the church's diverse religious constituency, its 1.2 billion members, through the activities of the Vatican/Holy See in each country it has nuncios, thru its episcopal conferences. I am sure its 4,600 employees are kept busy. Why talk about surplus? Maybe as an opportunity to pat oneself on the back for good stewardship? Lots of things in the gospels about that. It would be nice if we in the US had a surplus, even after the trillions we've spent on wars (since the early 1990's). Needless to say, we don't want bunglers , in church or state.