Pope Francis sacks Four Cardinals Overseeing Vatican Bank
All but one of a five-member panel that oversees the controversial Vatican bank have been fired as Four cardinals were given their marching orders by Pope Francis on Wednesday.
Those sacked were former Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone SDB, Cardinals Odilo Scherer from Brazil, Telesphore Toppo from India and Domenico Calcagno, from within the Vatican. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, however still has his job.
This was disclosed in a Catholic paper which said that with the exception of Calcagno, the cardinals were all just eleven months into a second, five-year team, having been appointed by Benedict XVI.
The Bank had earlier been in trouble when Bank chairman Ettore Gotti Tedeschi and his deputy Paolo Cipriani were investigated after financial police seized 23million euros from a Vatican bank account.
It was claimed that even as the bank was claiming to tackle money-laundering, it broke the law by trying to transfer money without identifying the sender or recipient, or what the money was being used for, although the Vatican furiously denies it.
Amid the fracas, Pope Francis is however showing love for engaged couples, as he’s extended an invitation to them to spend Valentine’s Day with him.
A note, entitled ‘The Joy of Yes Forever’ issued by Vatican city invites engaged, heterosexual couples to a private audience with the Pontiff next month.
Organised by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Family, participants are required to register by January 30 to secure their place.
