European finance experts are in Rome as part of an audit and have praised the Vatican’s efforts to clean its financial house. The pope likened the fight to Jesus expelling the money changers from the temple.
Pope Francis met with dozens of members of the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering outfit Moneyval on Thursday at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The Moneyval team has been in Rome since September 30, as part of a routine audit of Vatican financial records.
During the rare visit between auditors and the pope — a head of state — the pontiff once again denounced all forms of financial speculation as well as reassuring auditors that the Vatican was committed to “clean finance.” Beyond money laundering, Moneyval also investigates terror financing.
Pope Francis told the Moneyval team, “The measures you are evaluating are meant to promote clean finance, preventing ‘merchants’ from speculating in the ‘sacred temple.’”
The head of the Roman Catholic Church went on to say: “Sometimes, in the effort to amass wealth, there is little concern for where it comes from, the more or less legitimate activities that may have produced it and the mechanisms of exploitation behind it. Thus situations can occur where, in touching money, we get blood on our hands. The blood of our brothers and sisters.”
I wonder if Catholics know what a huge deal this is? Vatican finance was always untouchable in the past despite the leaks, revelations and suspicions.
Somehow after all this I hope that the Pope can bring the modern phenomenon of ‘non profit’ Catholic corporations under ethical oversight as well.
Pope Francis met with dozens of members of the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering outfit Moneyval on Thursday at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The Moneyval team has been in Rome since September 30, as part of a routine audit of Vatican financial records.
During the rare visit between auditors and the pope — a head of state — the pontiff once again denounced all forms of financial speculation as well as reassuring auditors that the Vatican was committed to “clean finance.” Beyond money laundering, Moneyval also investigates terror financing.
Pope Francis told the Moneyval team, “The measures you are evaluating are meant to promote clean finance, preventing ‘merchants’ from speculating in the ‘sacred temple.’”
The head of the Roman Catholic Church went on to say: “Sometimes, in the effort to amass wealth, there is little concern for where it comes from, the more or less legitimate activities that may have produced it and the mechanisms of exploitation behind it. Thus situations can occur where, in touching money, we get blood on our hands. The blood of our brothers and sisters.”
I wonder if Catholics know what a huge deal this is? Vatican finance was always untouchable in the past despite the leaks, revelations and suspicions.
Somehow after all this I hope that the Pope can bring the modern phenomenon of ‘non profit’ Catholic corporations under ethical oversight as well.