Site icon FABC50 | LiCAS.news

In midst of cardinal scandal, pope seeks to reassure money inspectors

Pope Francis sought to assure external inspectors of the Vatican’s financial operations on Oct. 8 that he was pushing ahead with reforms, as the Holy See reeled from a scandal in which he fired a powerful cardinal.

In an address to Moneyval, the Council of Europe’s financial monitoring arm, Pope Francis listed recent actions he had taken to make Vatican finances more transparent.

He appeared to refer to the Vatican’s latest financial scandals when he quoted the gospel story of Jesus driving the merchants from the temple and telling them “You cannot serve both God and money”.



Last month, the pope fired Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, accusing him of embezzlement and nepotism. Cardinal Becciu has denied all wrongdoing.

Moneyval is making one of its periodic inspections to check the Vatican is complying with international norms to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism.

“The measures that you are evaluating are meant to promote a ‘clean finance’, in which the ‘merchants’ are prevented from speculating in that sacred ‘temple’,” Pope Francis said.

Italian media have this week run interviews with a woman who says she received 500,000 euros from Cardinal Becciu to run a “parallel diplomacy” to help missionaries in conflict areas.

Pope Francis attends a meeting with the Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe at the Vatican, Oct. 8, in this still image taken from a video. (Photo from Vatican Media via Reuters)

Cecilia Marogna’s purported work for the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, where Cardinal Becciu held the number two position until 2018, was not previously known.

In an emailed response to Reuters on Oct. 7, Cardinal Becciu’s lawyer, Fabio Viglione, said the cardinal knew Marogna but that his dealings with her had been “exclusively about institutional matters”. He did not mention her comments about the funds, which Marogna said went through a company she started in Slovenia.

Marogna, 39, who like Becciu is from Sardinia, did not reply to a phone message from Reuters.



Addressing the inspectors, Pope Francis pointed to his approval in June of sweeping new rules for procurement and spending meant to cut costs, ensure transparent competition and reduce the risk of corruption in awarding contracts.

Moneyval has given the Vatican increasingly positive evaluations since its first inspection eight years ago but has lamented the slowness of its judicial arm in carrying out investigations and bringing suspects to trial.

In his email, Cardinal Becciu’s lawyer also denied Italian media reports that his client had sent money to Australia to help enemies of Cardinal George Pell, the former Vatican economy minister who was cleared this year of sexual abuse charges in Australia after spending 13 months in prison.

Cardinal Pell had accused Cardinal Becciu of blocking Vatican financial reforms. After Cardinal Becciu was fired, Cardinal Pell said the pope “is to be thanked and congratulated”.

Exit mobile version