It is rumored that the Peter’s Pence funds increased this year, and this news will certainly relieve Pope Francis. Peter Pence’s will give a breath of support to the Vatican operating funds,which are facing the always higher expenses of an elephantine curial machinery that needs to be streamlined. Not because of a theological-pastoral [...]
Decisions are yet to be announced, and they will be this week. But the amount of gossips, rumors, even the leaks anticipating the data of the balance sheet of the Institute for Religious Works (the so called “Vatican bank”) show that there had been a war behind these decisions. The roots of this war [...]
The report of the inspection to the Institute for Religious Works (IOR) commissioned by the Vatican Financial Information Authority should be hopefully ready by the end of April. In the meantime, it is already known that the Institute – misleadingly called the “Vatican bank” – will carry forward its mission, continuing to [...]
Pope Francis gave himself a «birthday gift». On December 17 the Pope received Cardinal Amato, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The Pope listened to the report that he asked Amato to write about Peter Faber, the first companion of St. Ignatius and “a model of virtue,” according to [...]
Pope Francis has underscored in Assisi his idea of «a poor Church for poor.» It is part of the «reform of attitudes» that Pope Francis considers more important than the Curia reform, i.e. a reform of the organizational structure. During this week, a certain lack of institutionality has been felt. At first [...]
Pope Francis closed his trip to Brazil for World Youth Day with an hour and 20 minutes of press conference of open question and answers. Pope Francis spoke about several topics, from the possible presence of a gay lobby within the Vatican ranks to the communion for divorced and remarried people. Among all [...]
How much money is there in the so-called «Vatican bank», the Institute for Religious Works (IOR) and how is it invested and used? Soon, this information will be in the public domain. The IOR will have an internet website, where its annual balance sheet will be posted. Although the IOR is a [...]
It seems certain that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone will remain Secretary of State until April 27. That is the day when new papal nuncio Ettore Balestrero – previously Undersecretary for Relations with States, heading to the important nunciature of Colombia– will be ordained bishops. In the past, the Pope himself would conduct these ordinations [...]
Benedict XVI will be like a Moses for the Church. Moses went to a mountain and interceded for the People of Israel while the latter were combating against Amalek. So will the Pope do after his retirement – the President of Pontifical Council for Culture, Card. Gianfranco Ravasi, said in a Lent meditation [...]