Apparently the Vatican’s money goes here, there, this way, then that way — and ends-up laundered by the Mafia.
Archbishops and cardinals are far from thrilled that Italian officials are now rummaging around in their secret affairs. Papal spokesman Federico Lombardi has openly threatened Italy’s law-enforcement apparatus and urged it to kindly respect “the sovereign rights of the Holy See.” In other words, he believes that all those documents including confidential details about the Vatican bank that were seized during the search of Gotti Tedeschi’s home should not be in the hands of Italian investigators.
The fears of the pope and the Curia are well-founded. In the past, every time Italian prosecutors have stepped in and confidential documents have found their way to light, the secretive ways of the Vatican bank have always ended up damaging the Church’s prestige. For more than 40 years, the IOR, founded in 1942, has been regularly embroiled in scandals, including bribery money for political parties, mafia money-laundering and, repeatedly, anonymous accounts.
Well.
Nobody has any business being surprised to learn that the Vatican is sometimes underhanded about money management. It has a great deal of it, after all, lots of would-be claimants, and it has exhibited a lot of corrupt behavior over the years.
It’s just one more thing.
