Apostolic nuncio reported corruption in Vatican contracts

January 25, 2012

The Holy See’s diplomatic representative in the US was forced out of the Vatican after complaining of “corruption” in Vatican contracts, according to Italian news reports.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who was appointed in October 2011 as apostolic nuncio to the US, had encountered hostility within the Vatican bureaucracy because of his complaints about business affairs. He resisted the assignment to Washington, and wrote to Pope Benedict XVI in March 2011 saying that his transfer would be disheartening to those who seek reform of the Vatican’s financial affairs.

Archbishop Vigano had worked from 2009 until last year as secretary of the Vatican city-state governorate. In that post, working under Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo (who has since retired), he said that he found a “disastrous” pattern of insider deals and favoritism. The archbishop claimed responsibility for reforms that brought major savings in the operations of the Vatican government.

In a letter to Pope Benedict dated March 27, Archbishop Vigano said that if he were transferred out of the Vatican, the move would “cause confusion and dismay among those who believed it was possible to correct the many problems of corruption and waste” at the Vatican.

 

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Further information:

• Report: Vatican official warns pope of corruption (AP)
• Top archbishop 'denounces Vatican corruption' (AFP)
• La corruzione in Vaticano che il Papa non vede (Giornalettismo)
• Italian prelate to become apostolic nuncio in Washington? (CWN, 8/30/10)