Vatican begins criminal probe into leaks to Italian press

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
3/19/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Information describes alleged corruption, mismanagement

The "Vatileaks" scandals, where embarrassing details about the Vatican's inner workings have been leaked to the Italian media, have uncovered stories of alleged corruption, mismanagement and internal conflicts. In response, the Vatican has launched a criminal probe into the unauthorized release of confidential documents.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano made the announcement together with an official admission that there have been "grave acts of disloyalty."

The "Vatileaks" scandal has dominated the columns of Italian newspapers and magazines and has been the subject of TV programs.

The leak of a string of highly sensitive internal documents from inside the Vatican's Secretariat of State, including personal letters to Pope Benedict XVI, are a clear embarrassment to the pope.

Pope Benedict is "serene, but saddened" at the revelations, a top church official told newspaper reporters.

The Vatican newspaper blamed unidentified members of the Roman Curia, the men who run the international headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, for the leaks.

In addition to the criminal investigation, the pope has ordered a separate administrative enquiry to try to determine the source of the leaks.

The investigation would cover every branch of the Vatican administration.

Among the leaked documents is a letter to Pope Benedict by the Vatican's current ambassador to Washington alleging cronyism, nepotism and corruption among the administrators of Vatican City.

Others concern poison pen memos criticizing Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the pope's number two, and the reporting of suspicious payments by the Vatican Bank.

The scandal, coupled with the rare threat to punish the perpetrators within the Vatican's own legal system of criminal and administrative sanctions has come at a delicate time for the Vatican, which is seeking to win European approval for its efforts to ensure its finances are transparent and that its laws to fight money laundering and terror financing meet international norms.

A team of inspectors from the Council of Europe recently wrapped up a three-day visit to the Holy See to review its compliance with norms required by the Financial Action Task Force, the Paris-based policy making body that helps develop anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing legislation.

It was the second such visit, part of an evaluation process that will culminate in early July when the Vatican learns if it has complied with the FATF's 49 recommendations, which cover everything from customer due diligence in banking institutions to freezing and confiscating terrorist assets.

� 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Vatileaks, corruption, Vatican, criminal investigation

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1 - 4 of 4 Comments

Friend
1 year ago
Execution of judgement belongs to God and any of those who want to hurt the church , it would be better for them not to exist. The church has the right to prosecute liars. This too should remain private.
Theresa H.
1 year ago
I must say, I don't understand this Vatican Newspaper "leak" business" and the Vatican investigation into the source of the leaks and prosecution for the leaks....(Prosecution should be for those engaging in criminal activity!) The truth is the truth. However, does that mean the Vatican is obliged to tell the world its fiscal affairs, and problems in its fiscal affairs? If there is "money laundering" (or whatever) in the Vatican, it certainly should be addressed by the Vatican. It also seems reasonable that it would be brought to the attention of the Pope, especially if it is on a large scale.... But the Pope is not responsible--cannot be responsible for everything that goes on in the Vatican--The Vatican is an organization that is dealing with immense, world-wide matters--of faith and morals, and communication re. the same with Bishops and governments, etc., etc., all over the world, and finance--but finance is not #1 at the Vatican--This is not to say that the Vatican budget is not huge or important, but it's not the main purpose of the Vatican. That being said, the bottom line--that should be clear, now, is that there needs to be tighter accountability for those involved in the administration of Vatican finances. I'm fairly sure I'm not the only one who sees the obvious!!!
renton
1 year ago
if what was leaked was false, then proecute
Daniel
1 year ago
As a diplomat (M.A.), this issue does not seem important. How can we in the U.S. feel the sense of criminality when complacent and distant from the Vatican? Am I numb to the relationships within the Vatican because they are not a real threat to my faith? Is the media blowing this issue out of proportion? Why does this not seem like a big deal, but is being treated as one?

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