Monte di Pietà and they each catered to a distinctive clientele. Difference from montepío The Mount of Piety is a different organisational form from the so-called montepío, which appeared during the second half of the 18th century. The Montepío was a mutual, agnostic, and government-controlled institution established by craftsmen or lesser standing professionals to care for members' needs when disabled or rehabilitating. They operated under a patron saint and in a church or monastery but without any religious obligation (and many had an ephemeral life). See also Caritas in Veritate for Pope Benedict XVI's reference to this early practice of pawnbroking in paragraph 65. Christian finance History of pawnbroking Monte delle doti'' References Further reading External links History of banking Economic history of the Holy See Medieval economics Non-profit organisations based in Italy Pawn shops