To achieve the transparency and accountability he wants in the Vatican Bank, Pope Francis has set up a new commission to allow “a greater harmonisation” with the universal mission of the Church.

This was “Pope Francis’ personal choice. It strays from the usual dynamic through which these decisions are taken,” a Vatican official speaking under the condition of anonymity told Catholic News Agency.

“The appointment of the commission,” explained the official, “is in order to understand if the Institute for Religious Works fulfills the mission of the Church in its current structure, or if it needs to be reformed.”

The possibility of a reform, or even of an abolition of the Institute for Religious Works — as the bank is formally known — was raised during the pre-conclave meetings of cardinals in March.

“Among other things, observers say the move indicates that Francis intends to take a personal interest in the bank as opposed to relying on others to make decisions in his name,” wrote National Catholic Reporter correspondent John Allen.

“Observers say it’s too early to know precisely what reforms might result, but it appears to suggest openness to changes that go beyond the merely cosmetic.”

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told new media that “the appointment of the pontifical commission is part of the process of thinking about a more general reform of the Curia” and also “in view of the meeting of the commission of eight cardinals in October 1-3.”

The five members of the new commission are retired Vatican archivist Cardinal Raffaele Farina (chairman); Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue; Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts; Monsignor Peter Bryan Wells, assessor for the Secretariat of State, who will serve as secretary to the new commission; and Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard Law School professor and former US ambassador to the Holy See.

Sources:

Catholic News Agency

Vatican Information Service

National Catholic Reporter

Image: CBC News

News category: World.