Rooting out corruption at the Vatican: unfinished business

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Jan 23, 2014

Pope Francis came into office with a clear mandate to clean up corruption in Rome. He’s working on it, but there’s a great deal still to be done. For instance:

• Msgr. Nunzio Scarano, who was arrested last year for attempting to bring €20 million into Italy illegally, now faces new criminal charges for money-laundering. He claims to be innocent, but are there any good reasons for smuggling large sums of cash? Or for taking charitable contributions from unsuspecting donors, and using the funds to pay for a luxury condo? More to the point, is it really plausible that the man known as “Monsignor €500” acquired that nickname without arousing suspicion among any of his colleagues at the Vatican? Or that he kept an expensive apartment, filled with fine art, and nobody wondered how he could afford it? Before he was suspended, Msgr. Scarano held a key office supervising Vatican financial accounts. If the head accountant in any corporation began showing signs of fabulous wealth, wouldn’t other executives start asking questions? A Forbes magazine report on his case makes the obvious point: “Sure, it’s possible he was a rogue cleric. But Monsignor Scarano worked for two decades as a senior accountant at the Vatican, which has weathered some recent storms.” Msgr. Scarano claims that he had approval from his superiors for his activities. That seems unlikely. But it does seem clear that either his superiors were terribly negligent, or he enjoyed some sort of protection. “Monsignor €500” will face trial for his own alleged misconduct, but let’s hope the investigation doesn’t stop there.
• Earlier this month, a former member of the Swiss Guard, speaking under condition of anonymity, claimed that he had been propositioned by Vatican officials. Okay, proves nothing; anyone can make an anonymous accusation. But then Elmer Mäder, the former commandant of the Swiss Guard, essentially confirmed the charge, saying that homosexual clerics formed a virtual “secret society” at the Vatican. Now we have a credible accuser, putting his reputation on the line. (And remember that Pope Francis himself reportedly acknowledged the existence of a gay lobby last June.) The powerful sostituto, Archbishop Becciu, has challenged Mäder to name names. “We are willing to listen and to take note,” the archbishop says. Oh, how I long to believe that he is sincere, and that if Mäder puts names on paper, that paper will not disappear into the files!