George pell vatican finds hundreds of millions of euros' worth of gold in vault
When Pope Benedict XVI was elected in 2009, the Vatican had a new trove of gold buried inside its historic catacombs.
The stash of $10 million (£7.5 million) worth of coins would have given the former pontiff a large fortune.
More than 700 tons of the material, discovered during a search of the Roman gold reserves in 1995 and 2001, has been brought to Britain to be buried in the Pope's own crypt.
It is believed to contain about 500,000 oz of gold - one-fifth of the total size of the Vatican gold reserves.
At least 70 percent of it is held in the vault of St바카라 Peter's Basilica, including around 90 percent that of the $10 million.
It is unknown what other value the precious metal could have held for Benedict - or for the pope himself.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Many in the Church had thought it likely Pope Benedict would make a large donation to help his country's banking industry
The vault, built in 1854, is currently used by other countries and the Vatican.
But it is unclear if Benedict and his wife would like it to be kept secure, and their personal possessions - including their gold - might be worth considerably more.
A private security company, G4S, helped build th우리카지노e vault.
Benedict, who is 84, has been given his own private private vault, separate from the Vatican City State.
The treasure has been said to be worth up to about £10bn.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Many wondered if Pope Benedict would make a large donation to help his country's banking industry
There is little suggestion that the Vatican will use the gold to prop up the government's finances.
But with many other global economies facing difficulties as a result of the economic downturn and high inflation, many hoped that the rich man from Italy might be able to help his country's economy and help 바카라out the world economy as well.
The vast trove of gold in the Vatican vault was discovered during a period when it was said to be inaccessible.