Although very dated now (the book dates from late 1060's), this volume was the first to expose the nature of the Vatican's financial holdings. Presenting a combination of biographies of significant financial advisors along with lots of laundry lists of companies, Lo Bello discusses how the Vatican went from a cash-poor position earlier in the 20th century, to an economic powerhouse by the late 1960s. One has to wonder if Italy would have been admitted to the EEC if the Vatican had not invested its funds in post-WWII reconstruction efforts. An interesting and fairly quick read ( )