The director of the Holy See Press Office, Federico Lombardi, S.J., came out swinging on Feb. 27 in response to a collection of articles published in the Italian weekly L’Espresso. The articles purport to show internal struggles within the Vatican on ongoing economic reforms. “Passing confidential documents to the press for polemical ends or to foster conflict is not new, but is always to be strongly condemned and is illegal,” Father Lombardi said. “The fact that complex economic or legal issues are the subject of discussion and diverse points of view should be considered normal.” L’Espresso reported that Cardinal George Pell’s economy secretariat had run up a half-million euros in expenses in its first six months of its existence. Vatican watchers suggest the leak was intended to discredit Cardinal Pell, who has been aggressively seeking to reform Vatican financial institutions and processes. “The article makes direct personal attacks that should be considered undignified and petty,” Father Lombardi said.
Cardinal Pell Defended by Vatican
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
In “Hugo,” Scorsese’s only family-friendly feature to date, he reflects on how dreams give meaning to our lives and help us persevere through life’s hardships.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans had been ordered by a New Orleans criminal court to turn over records relating to a long-running criminal investigation involving multiple accused priests.
“Inside the Vatican” host Colleen Dulle shares how her visit to Argentina gave her a deeper understanding into Francis’ emphasis on “being amongst the people” and his belief that “you can’t do theology behind a desk.”
Christians who have lived in Nagorno-Karabakh for 2,000 years are being driven out by Azerbaijan. Will world leaders act?