Pope bans cigarette sales in the Vatican

Pope Francis has ordered a ban on the sale of cigarettes inside the Vatican beginning from next year because of health concerns, a spokesman said on Thursday.

The motive is very simple: the Holy See cannot be cooperating with a practice that is clearly harming the health of people," spokesman Greg Burke said in a statement.

I think many people enjoyed it as sort of a fringe benefit," he said.

It comes as a bit of a sacrifice for the Holy See, this was a source of revenue, but it's obviously much more important to do what is right.

He cited World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics that smoking causes more than seven million deaths worldwide every year.

According to the BBC, about 5,000 employees and retired staff of the Vatican are currently allowed to buy cigarettes at a discounted price. The sales are estimated to bring in millions of euros every year to the Vatican.

Vatican employees are also allowed to buy five cartons of cigarettes a month. 

Burke acknowledged that the sale of cigarettes has been a source of revenue for the Holy See, adding, "However, no profit can be legitimate if it is costing people their lives."

The spokesman said the sale of large cigars would continue at least for the time being because the smoke is not inhaled.

The Vatican, a tiny walled city-state surrounded by Rome, is one of the few states to ban smoking.
Bhutan, where smoking is deemed bad for one's karma, banned the sale of tobacco in 2005.