02 October 2019, The Tablet
Vatican police raid offices of Secretariat of State
The Vatican's
Swiss Guard march in front of the tower of the Institute for Works of
Religion, often known as the Vatican Bank
Photo: CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters
Photo: CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters
Vatican police have conducted raids on offices of the Holy See’s Secretariat of State and its financial regulator.
A statement explained that searches had taken place on Tuesday 1 October in the offices of the first section of the Secretariat of State, which is the heart of the Vatican’s administration, and the Financial Information Authority, following complaints filed over the summer. Electronic devices and documents were taken away during the raids.
The complaints were lodged with the Vatican Bank (Institute for the Works of Religion) and the Auditor General’s office, which has a financial troubleshooter role. The statement said the matters under investigation concerned “financial operations carried out over the course of time”.
The Holy See offered no further details, and the raid of the Secretariat of State is highly unusual given its pre-eminence in the Vatican bureaucracy.
Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has sought to clean up the Vatican’s finances which has seen a system of control and oversight instituted, and financial crimes prosecuted.
The raids were authorised by the Vatican City State’s top prosecutor, Gian Piero Milano, the Promoter of Justice, and Alessandro Diddi, Adjunct Promoter of Justice. The superiors of the relevant departments were informed.
A statement explained that searches had taken place on Tuesday 1 October in the offices of the first section of the Secretariat of State, which is the heart of the Vatican’s administration, and the Financial Information Authority, following complaints filed over the summer. Electronic devices and documents were taken away during the raids.
The complaints were lodged with the Vatican Bank (Institute for the Works of Religion) and the Auditor General’s office, which has a financial troubleshooter role. The statement said the matters under investigation concerned “financial operations carried out over the course of time”.
The Holy See offered no further details, and the raid of the Secretariat of State is highly unusual given its pre-eminence in the Vatican bureaucracy.
Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has sought to clean up the Vatican’s finances which has seen a system of control and oversight instituted, and financial crimes prosecuted.
The raids were authorised by the Vatican City State’s top prosecutor, Gian Piero Milano, the Promoter of Justice, and Alessandro Diddi, Adjunct Promoter of Justice. The superiors of the relevant departments were informed.
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