Vatican press office explains history, duties of camerlengo
March 04, 2013
In a March 4 briefing for reporters, the Vatican press office traced the history of the office of camerlengo of the Catholic Church, which dates back to the 12th century.
The camerlengo heads the Apostolic Camera, which has the duty of "caring for and administering the temporal goods and rights of the Holy See during the period of sede vacante." The office is currently held by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. The camerlengo and the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary (Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro ) are the only officials of the Roman Curia whose duties do not cease when the Holy See becomes vacant. The briefing from the Vatican press office (see link below) will be interesting to those who want a more thorough knowledge of the unique history of this Vatican institution.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story improperly identified the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary; CWN regrets the error.
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