Thursday, November 9, 2017

Holy Smoke! Vatican No Longer Sells Cigarettes; Pope:Vatican Must Not Endanger People's Health

The Vatican announced today (November 9, 2017) that it would no longer sell cigarettes to employees in its duty-free shop and supermarket, thus giving up an estimated 10 million euros ($11 million) a year in profits , according to the Religion News website.


Pope Francis made the decision because "the Holy See cannot contribute to an activity that clearly damages the health of people."


A statement cited World Health Organization data finding that smoking is the cause of more than seven million deaths annually around the globe.


A 2015 book based on leaked Vatican documents, "Avarice," reported that cigarette sales bring in an estimated 10 million euros a year to the Vatican City State and are the second-most-important source of income after tax-free gas sales.

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