The Secretariat of State, the administrative staff of Santa Sede, will be responsible for the management of its foundations, investments and furniture.
The Papa Francisco issues a decree reopening checks on Vatican finances despite a scandal involving a property in London. The document addressed to the Secretariat of State, the diplomatic and administrative staff of Santa Sede, transfer all its financial assets and real estate activities in other offices, the Administration of the Heritage of the Apostolic See (APSA), will be delayed until February 4.
Published on Monday, the 26th of December, the decree will take effect from the 1st of January. The media is conducting an investigation into the poor fund management in the Secretariat of State and is intended to “log a centralized management of the inversions, which will reduce the discretion and increase the controls”.
In 2014, the Secretariat invested 200 million euros (244 million dollars) as a society in agreement with buy a property in British capital. The investigation into this has led to the suspension of the second half of the Vatican’s five-year-old secretariat.
The document formalizes what Father Francisco came up with in August in a card to the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, demanding the transfer of APSA’s assets. The decree also, as an objective, guarantees “a better organization of the administration, controls and supervision of the economic and financial activities of the Santa Sede”, a “more transparent and efficient management” and a “separation of responsibilities and functions”.
The decree also exemplifies the creation of a new fund for donations to the father and his charitable organizations, which are presumably administered by the Secretariat, to guarantee “a mayor’s control and greater visibility”. The Vatican’s Ministry of Economy will supervise the guest.