Italian police seized Vatican bank president's dossier, intended for Pope

June 08, 2012

A lawyer for the ousted president of the Vatican bank has said that during a search of the banker’s files, prosecutors seized a dossier that was intended for the eyes of Pope Benedict XVI.

The dossier, apparently complied by Ettore Gotti Tedeschi to defend his performance at the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), was discovered by police who searched his home and offices in connection with an investigation unrelated to the Vatican’s affairs.

Tedeschi was dismissed by the board of the IOR in May.

The discovery of documents related to his duties at the Vatican could give rise to legal conflicts, insofar as Vatican officials could argue that Italian authorities have no right to hold documents concerning the affairs of the sovereign Vatican city-state. The Vatican issued a public statement on June 8 calling upon Italian prosecutors to respect the confidentiality of any documents Tedeschi had prepared in his role as head of the IOR, and recognize that as an official of a sovereign state he enjoys some immunity from prosecution.

 

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Further information:

• Ouster of Vatican bank chief takes strange twist (AP)
• Vatican hits back at Italy over seizure of documents intended for pope, citing sovereignty (AP)
• Ousted Vatican banker kept dossiers to defend his performance (CWN 6/7)