Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 16: Palazzo San Carlo, Piazza Santa Marta

The Palazzo San Carlo was built in 1932 on the site of the Hospital of the Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo (who gives it his name) and was designed by, you guessed it, Giuseppe Momo. It serves as both a residential and office building.

Among its tenants are the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority, set up by Pope Benedict in 2010. This financial intelligence unit seeks to prevent or fight against counterfeiting, money laundering, or the financing of weapons of mass destruction. I don't know how often the Vatican winds up involved in financing the purchase of weapons grade uranium, but I'm glad someone's keeping an eye out.

The building is also the headquarters of the Association of Vatican Lay Workers, which is more or less a union for non-clerical employees of the Vatican. The roots of its founding go back to 1979, but the group was formally recognized by the Vatican in 1993 - after it led a strike in 1988 for improved working conditions and a campaign of mass resignations in 1992 to get pensions.

Among its more notable residents is Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a former Secretary of State and camerlengo who served as head of state between Benedict's abdication and the election of Pope Francis. Already one to draw attention to himself, he came under fire for the renovation of two apartments in San Carlo to form one large penthouse for himself and his staff. While he claimed he paid for the renovations himself, it was later discovered that funds from the Bambino Gesu Hospital were used, with the idea that the apartment would be used several times during the year to entertain and meet with potential hospital donors.

Care to guess how many of those meetings took place?

Two hospital executives were tried for diverting funds to the renovation, but only one was convicted, and then of a lesser crime.