Fr.
Lombardi responds to details of book publications
(Vatican
Radio) The director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi,
commented on Wednesday on the forthcoming publication of two new books based on
confidential Vatican documents.
Noting
that some of the information in these two volumes has already been made public,
Fr. Lombardi stressed that much of the content contains details from leaked
private documents and is therefore the result of illegal activities which will
be investigated by the competent Vatican authorities.
Furthermore,
Fr. Lombardi said, it was Pope Francis himself who requested the gathering of
this information in order to help him with the process of reforming the
financial and administrative running of the Vatican and of the Holy See.
In
particular, he noted that the COSEA commission, from whose archives much of the
information is drawn, was established by the Pope on July 18th 2013 and then
dissolved once it had completed its mandate.
Fr.
Lombardi also noted that there are many different interpretations of the facts
and figures that have been leaked; for example he noted that the pension fund
has been described as both a worrying black ‘hole’ and a reassuring situation.
Regarding
the use of the large amount of property belonging to the Vatican, Fr. Lombardi
noted that the income is used for the long-term management of the huge network
of services connected to the Holy See and other institutions, both in Rome and
in other parts of the world.
Details
regarding the origin and history of these properties are readily available; for
example, in the financial accords between Italy and the Holy See in the context
of the Lateran pacts.
Responding
to questions about St Peter’s Pence, Fr. Lombardi noted that the money given by
the faithful is used for a variety of different causes, at the Pope’s
discretion.
While
charity and assistance to the poor are two of the main destinations of that
money, they may also include funding for the Roman Curia, initiatives outside
of the Diocese of Rome, communicating the Papal Magisterium to different parts
of the globe and supporting the 180 diplomatic missions of the Holy See which
support the local churches.
Above
all, Fr. Lombardi stressed that it is important to distinguish between the bulk
of the leaked information, which refers to well-documented, correctly managed
and perfectly justified activities (including the payment of taxes), and other
details which reveal shortcomings to be remedied or clarified, or even illegal
dealings to be eliminated.
Fr.
Lombardi concluded by highlighting the complex work of reorganizing the
economic and financial management pursued by Pope Francis. The Pope and his
closest collaborators will continue on the road towards correct and transparent
administration of those worldly goods which serve their spiritual counterparts.
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