Vatican sources deny crackdown on new statements

November 11, 2011

Contradicting earlier published stories, the Catholic News Service reports that the Vatican Secretariat of State has not disowned a controversial statement by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

Although the statement—calling for a worldwide financial authority—has prompted debates within the Vatican, the Secretariat of State was not caught off guard by the document, writes John Thavis for CNS.

While Cardinal Bertone has issued new rules requiring that new statements must be cleared through the Secretariat of State, those rules apply only to documents that are issued in the Pope’s name, Thavis writes. Citing Vatican sources, he explains:

Cardinal Bertone’s order, they said, simply stipulated that any documents bearing the pope’s signature must be released through his office. The Justice and Peace document did not fall into that category, even though its content was reviewed by the Secretariat.

 

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Further information:

• Did Cardinal Bertone really ‘disown’ the document on economic reform? (CNS)
• Secretary of State clamps down on public statements by Vatican bureaus (CWN, 11/10)