Italian media reportd on Wednesday (25 January 2012) that top Vatican official who is now ambassador to Washington, in a series of letters to Pope Benedict XVI, had denounced serious corruption in Holy See.
Carlo Maria Vigano was secretary general of the governorate of the Vatican — the person in charge of the administration — until October, when he was named ambassador to the United States in what was seen as a demotion.
In extracts from the letters published in Corriere della Sera and Libero, Vigano said he had faced a “disastrous” situation when he became head of the governorate in 2009 and said his transfer to Washington was “punishment”.
His criticism was focussed on Vatican Financial Committee that includes the head of the Vatican Bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi. He accused the bank of favouring its own interest more than the Vatican’s. He said that the construction contracts were always going to the same companies for costs more than twice as high in Italy.
Italian newspapers said that Vigano’s reforms helped bring the governorate, which includes the Vatican Museums, from a deficit of eight-million euros ($10.4 million) in 2009 to a profit of 34.4 million euros the following year.
