Panamas $11.6 million gift to papal embassy

THE NEW home of the papal embassy in Clayton cost $11.6 million, including the land, largely from the pockets of  Panama taxpayers

The new headquarters replaces the historic building at Punta Paitilla, built on land that belongs to Panama and was symbolically rented to the Vatican State for 99 years, in 1960 says a La Prensa report.

At the time of signing the agreement between the Government and the Nunciature, in 2013, there was still some  50 years to go before the original deadline expired.

Although the Paitilla land leased to the Nunciature belonged to the State, the government of  Ricardo Martinelli agreed to exchange it for the new site at, an area of just over 9 thousand square meters, double that of the previous site.

In an unprecedented gesture, Martinelli decided to give $8.9 million to the Holy See to build a new headquarters, in what he called an “indemnity,” reports La Prensa.

According to a prior description of the project, the new diplomatic seat is of “modernist architecture”, consisting of two levels, garage at the entrance and security gate. The main facade would be “redolent with decorative details, and its front and sides will have various luxury finishes “.

According to the Holy Scriptures, Jesus shared his last supper with the apostles in the same

table. The nuncio, however, ordered the building of  four dining rooms on the first floor of the building, including a private one for personal use. The other three are of a collective nature for nuns and employees.

The embassy has a diplomatic hall for 200 people, atrium, kitchen, pantry, glassware pantry, laundry, terrace and clothesline, three bedrooms for nuns, as well as three other rooms: one for prayer and one for sewing.

On the upper floor are the offices of the nuncio, the secretary general of the Nunciature and two for nuns; a meeting room, a library, reception room, choir area and chapel. Also on this floor there are five bedrooms.

The Panamanian government decided to pay the Nunciature $8.9 million in two Checks, the last in 2013. To this must be added the value of the lot, for a total of $11.6 million.

La Prensa consulted Panamanian diplomats who said that Panama does not a single diplomatic headquarters in the world or any  of its offices abroad valued at that amount, which was  the reason they were surprised when the Martinelli government of Martinelli decided to pay a

Foreign state without reciprocity (in which case the Holy See would grant the Panamanian mission an equivalent building).

In an interview granted to Panorama Católico before the construction of the new diplomatic headquarters, Nuncio Carrascosa said  that if a penny were left, it would be returned to the “Panamanian State.”

Until this moment there is no return says La Prensa. “We have no information that less  has been spent than the amount contributed ” responded the Ministry of Economy and Finance.