Vatican cash machines switched off

The Bank of Italy has suspended all bank card payments inside Vatican City from the start of 2013, over alleged concerns about the Vatican Bank's security. The suspension of card services means that visitors to the Vatican museum, and customers in the Vatican chemist and post office have to pay in cash.

A spokesman for the Vatican said it was hoped a non-Italian bank would provide access to payment services 'quite soon' and that the problem would be “short-lived”.

Tourism is a major source of income for the Vatican. Last year five million visitors spent more than £74million.

Pope Benedict XVI has pledged to make the Vatican’s finances more transparent, in the wake of investigations which showed that criminal organisations had infiltrated its banking operations.