12
May 13, 2014
in the church
T
he Valley Catholic
Pope Francis, with retired pope,
canonizes Sts. John and John Paul
Pope Francis gives back relic of St. John Paul II to Floribeth Mora Diaz, accompanied by
her husband Edwin, during the canonization Mass for Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II in
St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican April 27. Mora Diaz’s cure from an aneurysm in 2011
was the second miracle in the sainthood cause of St. John Paul. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis confirms continuing
existence of Vatican bank
By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis,
accepting the recommendations of his
international Council of Cardinals and
other advisory groups, has decided
the Vatican bank will continue to exist
and has approved a plan to increase its
transparency and accountability.
The Vatican press office issued a
statement April 7 saying the pope “has
approved a proposal on the future” of
the Institute for the Works of Religion
(IOR), the formal title of the bank. The
Vatican, however, did not release details of the proposal.
In June 2013, Pope Francis established a commission to review the
activities of the Vatican bank, asking
the five commission members to study
whether the bank was in harmony with
the mission of the universal Church.
While not providing details on
proposed changes for the bank, the
Vatican’s April 7 statement seemed
intended to reassure the bank’s employees and clients that the institute would
have a future.
“The IOR will continue to serve
with prudence and provide specialized financial services to the Catholic
Church worldwide,” the statement said.
“The valuable services that can be offered by the institute assist the Holy
Father in his mission as universal pastor and also aid those institutions and
individuals who collaborate with him
in his ministry.”
The Vatican statement said Australian Cardinal George Pell, head of
the Vatican’s new Secretariat for the
Economy, has asked the bank’s president and management to finalize plans
and procedures “to ensure that the IOR
can fulfill its mission as part of the new
financial structures of the Holy SeeVatican City State.”
Dioceses raise $24.5 million for
Typhoon Haiyan recovery, rebuilding
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- U.S. dioceses raised $24.5 million in the special collection
taken for relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts in the Philippines following
Typhoon Haiyan.
The amount collected includes $6.4 million specifically designated for humanitarian aid, which will be sent directly to Catholic Relief Services, reported the U.S.
bishops’ Office of National Collections.
The bishops’ Administrative Committee agreed to divide the remaining $18.1
million equally between humanitarian aid and long-term church reconstruction
and other programs.
Under the arrangement, CRS and th