A Vatican court found a former president of the Vatican bank guilty of embezzlement and money laundering during the pontificates of St. John Paul and Pope Benedict XVI, closing a chapter in the long-term cleanup of its finances. The court said that Angelo Caloia and his lawyer, Gabriele Liuzzo, had manipulated sales of the scandal-plagued … Read more
Pope Francis ended 2019 in embarrassment when he angrily slapped the hand of a woman who had pulled on his own while he was greeting pilgrims on New Year’s Eve. He began 2020 with a public apology for losing his patience and setting a “bad example.” It was a fitting coda to a year in … Read more
An international network of financial watchdogs has suspended the Vatican’s access to its information, dealing a major blow to the Vatican’s financial credibility under Pope Francis. The Egmont Group, a Toronto-based network of more than 160 national financial intelligence units around the world, has decided to suspend the Vatican watchdog from access to its secure … Read more
An archbishop in Guam who was found guilty of sexual abuse of minors by a Vatican court and permanently removed from his post remains a priest with the rank of archbishop, underscoring wide inconsistencies in the Catholic Church’s approach to abuse around the world. The sentence, in the latest abuse case involving senior Catholic hierarchy, … Read more
Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, chief adviser to Pope Francis on protecting children from sexual abuse, called a meeting with top papal aides in 2017, concerned the Vatican wasn’t living up to its promise of “zero tolerance.” An appeals panel set up by the pope had reduced the punishments of a number of Catholic priests … Read more
Pope Francis tried to play down next month’s Vatican summit on sex abuse, describing the meeting’s purpose as primarily educational even amid widespread calls for bishops to face greater accountability for the scandal that has shaken the Catholic church. The pope made the comments Sunday evening to reporters accompanying him on his flight back from … Read more
The Vatican plans to try Archbishop Theodore McCarrick as early as this coming week , in order to make a final decision on his fate before next month’s Vatican summit on sex abuse, according to people familiar with the matter. Vatican officials understand that Pope Francis wants them to act swiftly in the matter, to … Read more
A little-known Vatican appeals panel established by Pope Francis has sharply reduced penalties meted out to priests convicted of sexual abuse under church law in more than a third of the cases that have come before it, drawing criticism from some bishops who favor a harder line. The pontiff has promised a policy of zero … Read more