Catholics in Luxembourg have expressed shock over a massive theft at their church’s Caritas charity, while hoping the scandal will not halt donations ahead of Pope Francis’ September visit.
“We are astonished — we never thought such a thing could happen,” said Gerard Kieffer, press officer for the Luxembourg Archdiocese. “But Caritas is legally and juridically independent of the church, so while we can anticipate negative consequences, reflections are underway as to how these might be limited.”
The church representative spoke to OSV News as investigations continued into the reported theft of 61 million euros ($67 million) from Caritas, one of Luxembourg’s largest charities, in fraudulent bank loans and transfers.
He said efforts were being made to “find solutions,” adding that the Catholic Church would issue a statement once the scandal’s parameters became clearer.
Meanwhile, a local Catholic priest said Luxembourg, which borders Germany, France and Belgium, was tightly regulated as a “financial hub,” fuelling consternation among church members as to “how one person could steal so much money.”
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