VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) – In the wake of the Vatican’s financial scandals, Pope Francis is formally withdrawing his bank accounts and real estate from the Vatican Secretariat of State.
On a motu proprio – edict issued and signed by the Pope on his own initiative – published today, Francisco formalized the transfer of bank accounts, investments and real estate from the Secretary of State to the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APAS).
APAS will assume the direction and administration and will be subject to ad hoc control by the Secretariat of Economy.
The pontiff granted the Secretary of State no later than February 4, 2021 to complete all transfers or provide power of attorney to APAS, granting exclusively all ordinary and extraordinary administration to:
- the management of current bank accounts
- the management of securities held on behalf of the Secretary of State
- the exercise of rights arising from the interests of the Secretariat of State in companies and investment funds
- the management of properties directly or indirectly owned by the Secretary of State
The Pontiff clarified that the Secretariat of State will maintain only the human resources necessary for internal administration, preparation of its budget and final balance and should also transfer its files to APAS.
Repacking a deck of dirty cards
Michael Hichborn, of the Lepanto Institute, told Church Militant that the pope’s latest reorganization in financial assets and management reeks of more cover-up.
“It’s as if Pope Francis is saying, ‘Look! I’m cleaning up financial scandals by taking assets from the corrupt Secretariat of State … and giving them to friends who are more adept at hiding corruption,'” he said.
Look! I am cleaning up financial scandals by taking assets from the corrupt State Secretariat … and giving them to friends who are more adept at hiding corruption.
The first of the Vatican’s two main financial scandals involved an investment in a luxury property in London’s Chelsea district. The second is the Vatican being the largest investor in the Maltese investment firm Centurion Global Fund, which channeled more than $ 1 million into a film with an explicit homosexual sex scene.
The luxury property investigation led to the dismissal of Cdl. Giovanni Angelo Becciu, whose former secretary says Francis knew about the investment in London. He further claims that the pontiff even endorsed the hiring of an Italian financier for a maximum of 20 million euros.
Cdl. Pietro Parolin
The current secretary of state, Cdl. Pietro Parolin has been a big player in the secret deal between the Vatican and China that has led to increased persecution of the clandestine Church in the country since it was first implemented in 2018.
Cdl. Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, told Church Militant in February that he has evidence to believe that the prelate is not a man of God.
In July, however, Zen said that with the “pastoral guidelines” – a document encouraging members of the underground Church to join the state church controlled by the Chinese Communist Party – “Parolin served the final blow to assassinate the Church in China”.
Some claim that $ 2 billion in annual payments from China to the Vatican influences the Vatican’s decisions.
— Campaign 31540 —
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