Cardinal What’s-his-face is indicted on fraud charges somewhere between four and five hundred million dollars, and the IOR (Institute for the Works of Religion – Vatican Bank) contacts little me. I like that. :-)
Here’s a bit of the email, which surely goes out to all clients, except not, just to the very few individuals in the world who have a personal account with them, and are not, say, national seminaries in Rome or religious orders. I was quite the exception… um… as usual.
So, they are doing an investigation of specific clients regarding money laundering and the financing of international terrorism. We’re supposed to provide some information and it will all be good, unless they decide to freeze the account = confiscate the money, you know, surely not for money laundering and the financing of international terrorism. It is to laugh, but lest there be an international warrant for my arrest, I guess I’ll comply. Fun!
I do have an account at IOR for many decades. There is money in it, let’s see:
- From the odd donation
- From direct deposit when I worked at Vatican Radio
- From Mass stipends (given to me by the Secretariat of State)
- From my parents (RIP) who basically financed all my studies in Rome
The account has been sitting dead for years. It’s not like it has seen any monies moved in, moved out, just nothing.
I’m sure they are just doing a best practices audit. Good timing.
ARISE! LET US BE GOING! 
Gee Father sure hope your “shadow” can’t make troubles. Dear Angel keep Father George safe. AMDG Mildred
Sent from my iPad
>
Innocent until proven guilty
I like that. Where?
The Vatican money laundering sagas, would make a fascinating book and movie, if it was a fictional story.
I’m sure the movie would be a blockbuster; and a box office sellout.
Unfortunately it is a real life.
Shonky deals, and a cardinal looking into the finances, suddenly moved back to Australia, and convicted of some fictional rubbish, and thrown into solitary confinement, until cleared by the High Court of Australia, by all seven justices, who couldn’t ignore the scholarly writings of, one of the judges in the Appeals Court of Victoria, who is an expert in criminal law, unlike the other two justices on the appeals court, whose judgements, were baffling to say the least.
Vindicated cardinal heading for Rome, and welcomed by Pope Francis, about the time of the pope sacking Cardinal, accused of shonky financial doings.
No wonder we need to say, the Divine Mercy Chaplet. All of us need mercy in varying degrees.
I hope that, the Australian standards of justice, are not applied to the accused cardinal.
The same one, that was applied to an innocent cardinal, for a while at least.
Guilty until proven innocent!