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The Vatican to charge Cardinal, others for alleged fraud

July 4, 2021 No Comments

A senior Cardinal and nine others are set to face trial for alleged financial recklessness at the Vatican.

The alleged financial malfeasance was linked to the purchase of a plush property by the defendants in London.

The Italian Cardinal, Angelo Becciu, who is a close ally of Pope Francis, will appear before a tribunal on July 27.

The 73-year-old was dismissed from a powerful Vatican job last September after he was accused of siphoning charity funds to help his siblings.

The charges against Becciu include embezzlement, abuse of power, and witness tampering in the case leading to a loss-making Vatican investment in Central London under his watch.

Before his dismissal, Becciu led the Vatican’s department on sainthood.

He was also the Substitute for General Affairs, a role likened to Chief of Staff in Vatican’s central bureaucracy from 2011 to 2018.

But in a statement on Saturday, the Catholic priest insisted he is innocent.

The cardinal maintained that he had been pilloried by the media and pleaded for a chance to prove his innocence.

According to reports, the Vatican lost several million Euros on the London property and other bad investments.

Other defendants in the case are Rene Bruelhart, the Swiss former head of Financial Information Authority.

Bruelhart will face charges for abuse of power as will Enrico Crasso, an investment fund manager who controlled millions of Euros including private donations to the Church.

World News

“Cardinals will get pay cuts” — Pope Francis

March 24, 2021 No Comments

Pope Francis has ordered pay cuts for cardinals and other clerics as the Vatican battles to balance its books during the pandemic.

Cardinals will see their pay reduced by 10% from April, the Vatican said.

They are believed to receive up to €5,000 (£4,300; $5,900) a month and often live in subsidised accommodation.

The Vatican expects a deficit of €50m this year. Its income has been badly hit by the closure of museums and other attractions in the pandemic.

The Pope has previously said that he does not want to fire people in difficult economic times.

In an apostolic letter on Wednesday (in Italian), the Vatican said that Francis had issued a decree introducing proportional cuts starting on 1 April.

Priests and other clerics will see their salaries cut by between 3% and 8% and planned salary increases will be suspended until March 2023.

“An economically sustainable future today requires, among other decisions, the adoption of measures concerning staff salaries,” the letter read.

It said action was being taken “following the health emergency caused by the spread of Covid-19 which negatively affected all sources of income of the Holy See and the Vatican City State”.

The Holy See is the governing body of the Roman Catholic Church.

image captionPope Francis has sought to make the Vatican’s finances more transparent

The letter added that cuts were being made “with the aim of safeguarding current jobs”.

Correspondents say it is the jobs of lay workers that the Pope is trying to protect.

Many cardinals based at the Vatican either live there or in large apartments in Rome at below market rents. Many priests and nuns working at the Vatican live in religious communities that give them greater protection from economic slumps.

image captionMany cardinals at the Vatican live in subsidised accommodation

On the other hand, the Vatican’s lay employees such as police, cleaners and maintenance personnel, live in Rome and face higher living expenses.

A Vatican spokesman quoted by Reuters said most lay employees would not be affected by the cuts.

The popular tourist destinations of St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums were closed or only partially open for much of last year because of the pandemic.

The Vatican had hoped to reopen the museums this month but a new lockdown across Italy means they must stay closed.

Earlier this month, the Vatican’s top economic official warned that the Holy See might have to use €40m in reserves for the second year running as a result of the pandemic. Revenues for this year are expected to be down 30% from 2020.

Last year, the Pope issued a new law designed to boost transparency in the Vatican’s financial deals. It followed a string of scandals at the Vatican bank and claims of mismanagement.

Lifestyle, World News

Same sex union cannot be blessed by the Catholic Church

March 15, 2021 No Comments

The Catholic Church does not have the power to bless same-sex unions, the Vatican office responsible for doctrine has said.

It is “impossible” for God to “bless sin”, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) said on Monday.

But the CDF did note the “positive elements” in same-sex relationships.

In October, Pope Francis said in a documentary that he thought same-sex couples should be allowed to have “civil unions”.

In the Catholic Church, a blessing is given by a priest or other minister in the name of the Church.

image captionIn 2013 Pope Francis famously broke with doctrinal tradition, saying: “Who am I to judge gay people?”

On Monday, Pope Francis approved the response by the CDF, saying it was “not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite”.

Some parishes in recent months, including in Germany and the US, have started giving blessings to people in same-sex relationships as a way to welcome gay Catholics to the church, Reuters news agency reported.

The CDF’s response was in answer to the question posed to it: “Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?”. It replied: “Negative”.

The CDF noted that marriage between a man and a woman is sacrament and therefore blessings cannot be extended to same-sex couples.

“For this reason, it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex,” it said.

In 2013, Pope Francis famously said: “Who am I to judge gay people?”

Last year the pontiff said in a documentary by Evgeny Afineevsky that “homosexual people have a right to be in a family… they are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or made miserable over it”.

The Vatican later attempted to clarify the comments saying they were taken out of context and did not indicate support for same-sex marriage.