Give us this day our daily WTF

March 6, 2016 12:11 PM

Most blessed Father..... five international auditors wrote to Pope Francis on 27 June 2013, three months into his papacy, ‘there is an almost total lack of clarity in the accounts of both the Holy See and the Governorate.’ (via LRB).
Part of the auditing committee and the only woman was Francesca Chaouqui (read the comments) another was Lucio Balda, presently in jail.
Meanwhile two other Italian journalists refused to answer the Vatican prosecutor’s questions. The spinners say The truth of the Vatileaks scandal is that there is no scandal.
posted by adamvasco (12 comments total)

If only Pope Guilty had made this post? Eponymissed opportunity.
posted by Fizz at 12:39 PM on March 6, 2016 [18 favorites]

I'm only wondering if the Vatican Bank has been noticeably cleaned up since its involvement with the Banco Ambrosiano scandal. It is not exactly an institution which has earned the benefit of the doubt over the years.
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:50 PM on March 6, 2016 [1 favorite]

Who are the spinners? This seems editorialized.
posted by michaelh at 1:16 PM on March 6, 2016 [3 favorites]

Can we stop pretending that the Holy See is a state now? Please?
posted by 1adam12 at 1:46 PM on March 6, 2016

Can we stop pretending that the Holy See is a state now? Please?

Everything else in the world pretty much operates as either a Nation-state or a Corporation, is it really that surprising that a Church would function in the same way?

God Inc.
posted by Fizz at 1:57 PM on March 6, 2016

Yes, but converting it from a Nation-state to a Corporation would not only make it more honest, but also help its long-term survival.
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:07 PM on March 6, 2016

Who are the spinners? This seems editorialized.
his biographer - see last link. although it's not clear to me that the characterisation "spinner" is justified.
posted by andrewcooke at 2:15 PM on March 6, 2016

I'm only wondering if the Vatican Bank has been noticeably cleaned up since its involvement with the Banco Ambrosiano scandal.
Last May the bank announced that it earned €69.3 million (£49 million) in 2014 – up from €2.9 million the previous year. Fortune Magazine says the Bank is looking to progress from handling deposits to asset management. However the National Catholic Review points out there is still a lot of dirty laundry or as the FT puts it "unfinished business".
Re spinners Paul Vallely is a director of The Tablet which might call itself progressive but definitely bats for the home team.
posted by adamvasco at 2:47 PM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]

Interesting thing is that Australian Cardinal George Pell, who we all hate principally for his role in protecting the Church against abused boys, is seen as an arch-conservative here, but in the wider church world he is seen as a reformer brought in by the Pope to clean up the holy see's finances.
posted by wilful at 3:00 PM on March 6, 2016 [3 favorites]

something something raising the average something of both something
posted by flabdablet at 1:11 AM on March 7, 2016

Thanks wilful. Came to point out Pell's involvement. Immediately suspicious of anything that [inset your favourite expletive here] is involved in. If he is the cure, endure the symptoms.
posted by dangerousdan at 2:28 AM on March 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

Pell needs to return to Australia to answer for his sins.
posted by flippant at 5:20 PM on March 7, 2016