Pope Francis Turbocharges Financial Reform
National Catholic Register, 11 May 2021
The extensive reporting by the ‘Financial Times’ about a shady Vatican land transaction in London, and the pandemic’s restrictions, have combined to focus the Holy Father’s attention on this area.
The Vatican has four official specially designated years on the go — Our Lady of Loreto, St. Joseph, Amoris Laetitia, Laudato Si — but in practice, the last 15 months have been an extended and intensive year of the Holy Father’s financial reform.
In 2020 and 2021, Pope Francis promulgated six legislative acts — apostolic letters issued “motu proprio” — mandating significant reforms related to finance, accountability, transparency, procurement, corruption and prosecution. In addition, he fired his former chief of staff, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, on suspicion of financial corruption, stripped the powerful Secretariat of State of all management of assets, and restored the office of the Vatican’s auditor general.
The latest reforms, announced in the final days of April, ban the “envelope culture” of gift-giving in the Vatican. Now, no official may accept any gift worth more than 40 euro. That means pranzo for two with antipasto and pasta only, no second course.
The practice of giving generous gifts to Vatican officials has been in bad odor recently due to the largesse of quondam cardinal and laicized priest Theodore McCarrick. The grand master of greasing the skids was another abuser, the late Father Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ and arguably the greatest fraudster in the long history of the Church. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was noteworthy for being one of the few who refused his gifts.
In fairness, envelopes of cash were used by many prelates for honorable purposes, passing on money to those in need. During the John Paul years, it was common for bishops from behind the Iron Curtain or from poor dioceses to receive thousands in cash from the papal household itself, when official channels were blocked by state authorities. And there are more than a few senior curial prelates who live simply and are very generous with funds that come their way.
Nevertheless, the line between gift-giving and bribe-making is a fine one, and the Holy Father’s reforms make it mandatory for Roman officials to stay far away from it.
Those same senior officials are now liable, should they ever face prosecution, to appear in the Vatican’s regular courts. Cardinals and bishops had previously had the privilege of only being tried in the Vatican’s highest criminal court, which is presided over by fellow prelates. Now lower Vatican tribunals, presided over by lay magistrates, are able to try prelates — if the Holy Father gives his approval.
Practically speaking, prosecution of prelates in the Vatican tribunals — rather than canonical processes in the various Vatican congregations — is very rare. The change made by Pope Francis may indicate that there may be such trials on financial matters in the future.
What turbocharged the year of financial reform?
Most of the reforms advanced in the past year by Pope Francis were suggested, or even initiated, by Cardinal George Pell in his years as prefect for the economy, 2014-2017. Some of those reforms were implemented but then reversed, while others were blocked by then-Archbishop Becciu. By the time Cardinal Pell returned to Australia to contest the false allegations against him in 2017, it seemed that the reform would be left to wither in his absence.
It seems the catalyst was the Times — and timing.
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