Suspected fraud plot foiled at Vatican bank | Fox News

Two men toting a briefcase stuffed with false bond certificates purportedly worth trillions of euros (dollars) tried to bluff their way into the exclusive Vatican bank in a foiled fraud plot, Italian police said Sunday.

Financial Guard police Lt. Col. Davide Cardia said the would-be swindlers, who were wearing business suits, tried to convince Swiss Guards at a Vatican City gate earlier this month that "cardinals were expecting them."

Both suspects, whose names weren't released by police, had been previously investigated for attempted fraud in Asian countries, Cardia said without elaborating. They were issued citations and released on their own recognizance pending further investigation, since Italian law doesn't require arrest for investigation of attempted fraud, according to the official. Both are believed to have left Italy.

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Pope Francis summons 'Bishop Bling' to the Vatican for private talks | Religion News Service

 

 

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis met Friday (March 28) in a closed-door meeting with the German churchman known as “Bishop Bling,” Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, whose extravagant and expensive lifestyle cost him his job.

  

Tebartz-van Elst, 54, spent more than $40 million of church money renovating his home in Limburg, Germany. He became a worldwide phenomenon, in part because his lifestyle clashed so sharply with that of Francis, known for living in spartan and humble surroundings and for preaching restraint and austerity.

Vatican sources confirmed Tebartz-van Elst met with the pontiff at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. But there was no information about what the two men discussed or what conclusions were drawn.

Read the complete story by clicking on the following:  Pope Francis summons 'Bishop Bling' to the Vatican for private talks | Religion News Service

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Pope Francis replaces German 'bling bishop' after inquiry | The Detroit News

 

Pope Francis on Wednesday permanently removed a German bishop from his Limburg diocese after his $43 million new residence complex caused an uproar among the faithful.

Francis had temporarily expelled Monsignor Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst from Limburg in October pending a church inquiry.

At the center of the controversy was the huge price tag for the construction of a new bishop’s residence complex and related renovations. Tebartz-van Elst defended the expenditures, saying the bill was actually for 10 projects and there were additional costs because the buildings were under historical protection.

But in a country where Martin Luther launched the Reformation five centuries ago in response to what he said were excesses and abuses within the church, the outcry was enormous. The perceived lack of financial transparency also struck a chord since a church tax in Germany brings in billions a year to the German church.

Read the entire story by clicking on the following; Pope Francis replaces German 'bling bishop' after inquiry | The Detroit News

Cardinal George Pell set to take stand in child sex abuse royal commission

 

Cardinal George Pell is due to take the stand at the child sex abuse royal commission on Monday, where he will likely face tough questions over the Catholic Church's handling of abuse claims.

The commission will examine Cardinal Pell's role in the church's treatment of John Ellis, who sought damages for abuse by Father Aidan Duggan at the Sydney Archdiocese's Bass Hill parish.

The abuse, which lasted years, began when Mr Ellis was a 13-year-old altar boy.

The commission has heard the cardinal was in charge of the infamous case in which the church fought Mr Ellis' claim.

Read the entire story by clicking on the following:  Cardinal George Pell set to take stand in child sex abuse royal commission

Pope Francis adds former child victim to new commission on sex abuse cases - NY Daily News

 

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis named the initial members of a commission to advise him on sex abuse policy Saturday, signaling an openness to reach beyond church officials to plot the commission's course and priorities: Half of the members are women, and one was assaulted by a priest as a child.

….

In a statement, the Vatican hinted that it might, saying the commission would look into both "civil and canonical duties and responsibilities" for church personnel. Canon law does provide for sanctions if a bishop is negligent in carrying out his duties, but such punishments have never been imposed on a bishop for failing to report a pedophile priest to police.

The eight inaugural members include Marie Collins, who was assaulted as a 13-year-old by a hospital chaplain in her native Ireland and has gone on to become a prominent campaigner for accountability in the church.

Read more of the story by clicking on the following:  Pope Francis adds former child victim to new commission on sex abuse cases  - NY Daily News

Retired Pope Benedict Critiqued Pope Francis' Interview, Aide Says

by  Nicole Winfield

The man who serves two popes has revealed that retired Pope Benedict XVI wrote four pages of critique and commentary on Pope Francis's landmark interview in which he blasted the church's obsession with "small-minded" rules.

Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, Benedict's personal secretary and head of Francis' papal household, told German broadcaster ZDF that Francis had solicited Benedict's input on the interview, which was published in September in 16 Jesuit journals around the globe and helped define Francis' agenda.

Francis received a draft of the interview to vet before publication, but it's unclear whether Benedict saw that draft or the published text. As a result, it's unclear if any of Benedict's suggestions impacted the final version.

Regardless, the revelation is further evidence of the remarkable and unprecedented collaboration between the two popes, who stay in touch by phone, in person and by sending notes back and for th across the Vatican gardens via Gaenswein

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  Retired Pope Benedict Critiqued Pope Francis' Interview, Aide Says

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Russian Orthodox leader pays tribute to Pope Francis : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

 

The first year of your tenure as pontiff was marked with high hopes and important initiatives in the Roman Catholic Church,” said Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow, according to the Interfax news agency. “The wish of Your Holiness to make the presence of evangelical ideals in the life of modern society is already bearing good fruit.”

“The bilateral relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches continued developing last year,” he added. “It is with satisfaction that I am pointing out the high degree of mutual understanding and the wish of both parties to strengthen Orthodox-Catholic cooperation in the name of establishing Christian spiritual and moral values in the modern world, protection of the oppressed, and service to people.”

Russian Orthodox leader pays tribute to Pope Francis : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

Pope Francis invited to address Congress | TheCelebrityCafe.com

 

House Speaker John Boehner has extended an open invitation to Pope Francis to address a joint meeting of Congress.

According to ABC News, the formal invitation was extended by the speaker, who is Catholic, in a letter to the Vatican on Thursday, which was the Pontiff’s first anniversary.

Read more of the story by clickiing on the following:  Pope Francis invited to address Congress | TheCelebrityCafe.com

9 Reasons why Pope Francis deserves the Nobel Peace Prize | Voxxi

 

Pope Francis has been announced as one of the 278 nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize. Here are a few reasons why he deserves to win over the other nominees, which include Vladimir Putin and Edward Snowden.

Pope Francis for Nobel Peace Prize

1. He’s practically a rockstar

Read the other eight by clicking on the following:  9 Reasons why Pope Francis deserves the Nobel Peace Prize | Voxxi

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Pope Francis Confesses: I Once Stole a Dead Priest's Rosary Cross | NBC Bay Area

 

When the priest died, Francis went to pray by his open casket and was stunned that no one had brought any flowers.

"This man forgave the sins of all the priests of Buenos Aires, but not a single flower ...?" Francis recalled. So he went out and bought a bouquet of roses, and when he returned to arrange them around the casket, he saw the rosary the priest still held in his hand.

"And immediately there came to mind the thief we all have inside ourselves and while I arranged the flowers I took the cross and with just a bit of force I removed it," he said, showing with his hands how he pulled the cross off the rosary. "And in that moment I looked at him and I said 'Give me half your mercy.'"

Francis said he kept the cross in his shirt pocket for years, but that the cassock he wears now as pope doesn't have a pocket. He now keeps it in a little pouch underneath.

"And whenever a bad thought comes to mind about someone, my hand goes here, always," he said, gesturing to his heart. "And I feel the grace, and that makes me feel better."

Read the entire story by clicking on the following:  Pope Francis Confesses: I Once Stole a Dead Priest's Rosary Cross | NBC Bay Area

Pope Francis leaves door open for same-sex unions

John Bacon

The interview with Corriere della Sera, translated by the Catholic News Service, suggested that Francis viewed the unions as a practical way to protect property rights and access to health care.

"Matrimony is between a man and a woman," he said. But he added that efforts to "regulate diverse situations of cohabitation (are) driven by the need to regulate economic aspects."

The news service notes that a year ago the president of the Pontifical Council for the Family said some legal arrangements are justifiable to protect the inheritance rights of non-married couples.

But the news service says that Francis is the first pope to "indicate even tentative acceptance of civil unions."

Click on the following for more details:  Pope Francis leaves door open for same-sex unions

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Conservative German archbishop retires, leaving Pope Francis with prestigious vacancy to fill

 

BERLIN — One of the most prominent conservatives in the German church is retiring as archbishop of Cologne — opening up a prestigious vacancy for Pope Francis to fill.

The Vatican said Friday that Francis had accepted the resignation of Cardinal Joachim Meisner for age reasons.

Meisner turned 80 on Christmas Day and has been Cologne archbishop for 25 years. Bishops hand in their resignation when they turn 75, their customary retirement age, but Pope Benedict XVI asked Meisner to stay on.

Meisner has been an outspoken and sometimes controversial conservative figure in liberally minded Germany. He opposed plans to build a large mosque in Cologne and once urged Chancellor Angela Merkel to apologize for criticizing the Vatican's handling of the case of a Holocaust-denying bishop.

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Click on the following for more details:  Conservative German archbishop retires, leaving Pope Francis with prestigious vacancy to fill