Vatican City, Jun 2, 2015 / 04:40 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Amid the new soccer corruption scandal that has rocked the sports world, a Vatican official has called for different sectors of society to unite in encouraging sports that contribute authentically ... Read more

Vatican City, Jun 2, 2015 / 04:39 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis sent his greetings to the people of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a video message that emphasized the motto of his upcoming visit: “Peace be with you.&rdquo... Read more

Vatican City, Jun 2, 2015 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In an exclusive interview with CNA, the director of the Vatican's financial watchdog stressed that the Holy See has pursued the goal of adopting international standards for financial transparency in accord with the Church's mission, and not to merely seek adherence to international standards. “The Holy See's path toward financial transparency has not been that of imitating other countries, nor that of applying international standards by analogy,” Tomasso Di Ruzza , director of the Authority for Financial Information, stated. The main goal, he added, “was the ambitious one of adopting international standards coherently with the nature and the mission of the Holy See in the world.” Di Ruzza, 40, was appointed director of the AIF in January. He had worked at the Holy See for 10 years, first as an international law expert at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and then at the AIF since 2011. Di Ruzza is credited as one of the main promoters of the path that consolidated the Holy See and Vatican City State's anti-money laundering and prudential supervision system over the last three years. “Our unique goal was to establish a financial system which would be solid, sustainable for the long term, and coherent with the nature of the Holy See and Vatican City State's domestic legal framework and sovereign prerogatives,” Di Ruzza said. He added that “this path is not just linked to the commitments undertaken with the international community. It is a moral duty to the Church.” Despite a decrease in the number of suspicious transactions reported, the Holy See's finances have often been under the spotlight because of alleged financial scandals, leading Vatican finances to be described like a place of illicit dealings. Di Ruzza did not want to comment on any specific case, but he underscored that “a system of prevention and countering, based on certain rules and procedures, has been established.” “To say it with a metaphor, it is one thing is risk falling ill without an immune system, and another thing entirely to fall ill with a strong immune system,” he added. The director of the authority then stressed that “unfortunately, possible attempts at illicit activities cannot be eradicated from their very roots, as these roots lie in an individual’s soul and conduct.” But “we can have an effective immune system, able to prevent and counter the conduct of individuals.” The reporting system data is a proof of the consolidation of the vigilance system: in 2012, the AIF received six suspicious transactions reports; in 2013, 202; and in 2014, 147. After the issuing of new statutes for the AIF in November 2013, it was entrusted with prudential supervision, and given an extra office to handle the new responsibility. “Prudential supervision is a pillar of the system of vigilance” and is “foundational for dialogue with foreign vigilance authorities,” Di Ruzza said The pursuit of financial transparency at the Vatican was initiated by Benedict XVI in 2010, involving many changes from 2011 to 2013. Di Ruzza said the system is now settling down, with a comprehensive set of regulations having been introduced in October 2013. Di Ruzza stressed that the regulation on prudential supervision “follows the requirements of Vatican law, and at the same time meets the need to adhere to the best European and international standards” in terms of supervision. He also discussed the importance of the Vatican's own norms, and the European Commission's acknowledgement, in a 2009 convention, of the institutional, juridical, and financial framework of the Holy See and Vatican City State. “A really effective and sustainable anti-money laundering system will arise only from a balance between the adoption of international standards and coherence to the domestic framework,” Di Ruzza said. This ongoing process should help to strengthen relations with the AIF's foreign counterparts, Di Ruzza believes. He expressed hope that the Bank of Italy will soon regard the Institute for Religious Works (the 'Vatican bank') as an institute with an equivalent anti-money laundering system. “The AIF has fostered dialogue and mutual trust with the Bank of Italy, and hopes to be soon able to formalize channels of collaboration and exchange of information, as it already did with the Italian Financial Intelligence Unit.” In the end, Di Ruzza identifies the profound reason for the Holy See's commitment to financial transparency as “the need for the Holy See to be present with its teaching at this important institutional table.” He said the Holy See's commitment to financial transparency deals on both moral, institutional, and juridical levels. “The Holy See's transparency comes out of the coherence between the commitments undertaken in international tables and a deep moral duty,” Di Ruzza said, adding that this transparency “is not just functional for safe transactions,” but is also a factor that shows “finances are a mean, not and end” for the Holy See, and it is “directed to the development of persons and peoples.” “Commitment to this model of transparency, which perhaps lacked some visibility in the past and was often questioned, is now visible, and we can harvest its fruits,” Di Ruzza concluded. Read more

Vatican City, Jun 2, 2015 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on several occasions has spoken of his strong devotion to the Little Flower saint as well as his habit of asking her for favors: favors, his former press secretary says, which have often come in the form little miracles. One of those miracles came Aug. 7, 2010, when the then-cardinal Bergoglio was accompanied by his press secretary, Federico Wals, to celebrate Mass honoring St. Cajetan on his feast day. The cardinal was set to celebrate a Mass at the saint’s shrine in Buenos Aires and then walk to greet a long line of pilgrims, as he did every year. “When leaving he told me that he had already asked Santa Teresita (St. Therese of Liseux) to send him a sign,” Wals said in an interview with Bolivian newspaper “El Deber” published May 31. “When he told me this I was very skeptical and asked myself ‘A sign?’” The former press secretary for Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio – now Pope Francis – gave an interview to El Deber in which he detailed personal stories and memories from his time working with the then-archbishop of Buenos Aires. Located on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, the Shrine of St. Cajetan draws thousands of pilgrims each year on the feast of his death. Mass is celebrated each hour on the Aug. 7 feast, and after attending faithful queue and wait as long as 10 hours to pass in front of a small statue of the saint and kiss the glass separating it from them. As archbishop of Buenos Aires then-cardinal Bergoglio would preside over a Mass himself, and then walk down the line of pilgrims – which sometimes extended 15 blocks – to greet people, speak with them and bless the children. That day in 2010 “he didn't feel very well, but we were going to go anyway,” Wals said, explaining that Bergoglio had asked St. Therese to send him a sign as to whether to go all the way or not, since after the Mass he had to walk 15 blocks down the line of faithful. After celebrating Mass the cardinal was in too much pain to walk the whole distance, and decided to go just two blocks before heading back to the center of Buenos Aires, Wals recalled. However, as they reached the second block Wals said they came across a man “taller than (the cardinal), dressed with a black overcoat and he had his right hand inside the coat.” Before they could blink the man “pulled out a white rose,” he said, explaining that Bergoglio was “surprised,” blessed the rose and tried to move out of the way. At that moment the man told the future Pope “you don't understand anything: this is the sign that you are waiting for.” He then smiled and handed Bergoglio the rose. Once Bergoglio heard what the man said he immediately grabbed the rose, Wals said. The cardinal then told him, “Federico, Santa Teresita did not abandon me, I'm going to walk until the end of the line (of faithful).” “At that moment the man disappeared, we never saw each other again. Bergoglio's countenance changed, he was radiant and continued until the end.” Wals has met with Bergoglio since his election as Bishop of Rome, and said that as Pope, other similar things have happened. One of them took place in January while the Pope was on his way to the Philippines. During his flight from Sri Lanka to Manila Pope Francis received a bas-relief, or carving, of St. Therese from French journalist Caroline Pigozzi. After receiving the image, Francis told other journalists present that “I have the habit, when I don't know how things will go, to ask St. Therese the little child, St. Therese of Jesus, to ask her if she takes a problem in hand, some thing, that she send me a rose.” “I asked also for this trip, that she'd take it in hand and that she would send me a rose. But instead of a rose she came herself to greet me,” he said.Pigozzi spoke with CNA later, saying that she had originally found the image in a Paris flea market, and had polished it herself to give to the Pope as part of a set for Christmas and for his Dec. 17 birthday. Read more

Vatican City, Jun 1, 2015 / 04:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A television broadcast revisiting charges that Australian Cardinal George Pell mishandled abuse claims was “false and misleading” and “outrageous” in its coverage, a spokesp... Read more

Vatican City, Jun 1, 2015 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Church in the Dominican Republic cannot be indifferent to the plight of Haitian immigrants, Pope Francis said last week during a meeting with the Dominican Republic's Catholic bishops. “Pastoral and charitable attention to immigrants, especially those from neighboring Haiti, who seek better conditions of life in the Dominican territory, cannot allow indifference on the part of pastor's of the Church,”the Pope said May 27 to the bishops who were in Rome for their ad limina visit. “It is inexcusable to fail to promote initiatives of fraternity and peace between the two nations that form this beautiful Caribbean island.” The Dominican Republic has a long history of anti-Haitian sentiment, though a recent spike in tension is likely due to a contentious 2013 Dominican Supreme Court ruling that stripped the citizenship of nearly 200,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent. In February, a Haitian immigrant was found lynched in the public square of Santiago. Dominican authorities claimed other Haitian migrants killed the man over a winning lottery ticket, though the victim's family disputes that claim, according to International Business Times.   Thousands of Haitians took to the streets of Port-au-Prince in the days following the lynching to protest ongoing mistreatment of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic. Across the border, several Dominicans in the city of Santiago burned a Haitian flag and urged their government to put and end to the “invasion” of Haitian migrants, according to Al Jazeera. Pope Francis urged the Dominican bishops to work together with civil authorities to establish solutions for Haitian migrants who are denied documents and basic rights in the Dominican Republic. “It is important to know how to integrate immigrants into society and to welcome them into the ecclesial community,” the Pope said. “I thank those who are close to them and to all who suffer as a gesture of loving care towards the brother who feels alone and helpless, with whom Christ identified.” The Pope praised the bishops for their efforts to combat corruption, the abuse of minors, and the  trafficking of humans and drugs. He emphasized that the actions of the Church must always be directed toward the care of disadvantaged populations. “Everything that is achieved in this respect will increase the presence of the Kingdom of God that gave us Jesus Christ, while enhancing the credibility of the Church and the relevance of the voice of her pastors.” Pope Francis also encouraged the bishops to continue teaching the truths about marriage and family life in the Dominican Republic. “Marriage and the family are going through a serious cultural crisis,” the Pope warned. “But that does not mean they have lost importance. The family is the place where we learn to live together in difference, to forgive and to experience forgiveness, and where parents pass on values to their children, and especially the faith.” He particularly stressed the importance of forming husbands and fathers and promoting familial and marital reconciliation. “A broad-ranging catechetical effort regarding the Christian ideal of conjugal communion and family life, and the spirituality of fatherhood and motherhood, is necessary,” the Pope said. “Greater pastoral attention needs to be paid to the role of men as husbands and fathers, as well as the responsibility they share with their wives with respect to marriage, the family and the upbringing of children.” Pope Francis said the bishops must also recommit to the formation of priests and seminarians in the Dominican Republic. “I invite you to take time and care for priests, to care for each of them, to defend them from the wolves, which also attack the shepherds,” he cautioned. The Pope ended his message to the bishops with a nod to environmental stewardship. “The relationship between man and nature should not be ruled by greed, by manipulation or by over-exploitation … but must keep the divine harmony among creatures and creation, to put them at the service of all and of future generations.” Read more