The Vatican
has hired an external auditor to review its finances following a series of
scandals and concerns about transparency. The pope has vowed to clean up murky
and wasteful finances at the Holy See.
Deutsche Welle, 5 Dec 2015
With the
Holy See plagued by financial scandals that have seen millions of euros go off
the books, on Saturday papal spokesman Federico Lombardi said one of the
world's top auditing firms would examine the Vatican's financial statements.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
will audit church records including assets, income and expenses in order to
implement "new financial management policies and practices in line with
international standards," Lombardi said.
Pope
Francis has vowed to clean up church finances after a series of recent scandals
have revealed widespread waste. Some of his reform efforts have come up against
resistance from clergy.
A Vatican
financial statement released this year found 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion)
of assets off the books, as departments and clergy intent on maintaining power
attempt to avoid scrutiny from a central accounting office.
Two books published this year based on confidential Vatican documents from a special
reform commission established by Francis revealed widespread waste and greed in
the Catholic Church.
The Vatican
has not denied the accuracy of the documents and reports of transgressions
within the church, but officials say the issues are old and have been resolved
through reforms instituted by Francis.
Two years
ago, a book based on information from Pope Benedict XVI's butler exposed
corruption and infighting within the Vatican. Many believe that those
revelations ultimately weighed on the pope's unprecedented decision to retire.
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