Secretariat of State Archives

As new report released, Vatican bank chief says ‘bad old days’ are done

Jun 11, 2021

In tandem with other milestones in recent years, President Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, the French economist and banker who’s led the IOR since 2014, believes June 2021 marks an historic turning point.

By John L. Allen Jr.

No matter how it’s framed, report card on Vatican reform a mixed bag

Jun 10, 2021

There are troubling elements of the Moneyval findings that can’t simply be spun away or chalked up to “areas for growth,” especially for a financial reform under Pope Francis that’s supposedly been underway for the better part of a decade.

By John L. Allen Jr.

Fraternity needed to address global challenges, Vatican official says

Apr 15, 2021

Fraternity is more than just a virtuous principle, it is a necessary means to confront the great humanitarian and social challenges facing the world, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.

By Junno Arocho Esteves

Top Vatican diplomat says decline of the West not irreversible

Apr 14, 2021

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister, said that though it’s “legitimate” to speak of a decadence and decline of the West, he’s optimistic that the decline is not irreversible.

By Inés San Martín

Cardinal Parolin says church divisions stem from misunderstanding ‘reform’

Apr 5, 2021

Three days after the preacher of the papal household called on Catholics to repent for the ways they are dividing the church, the Vatican secretary of state said the divisions are real and they are harmful.

By Cindy Wooden

Vatican can’t blame the media for spin cycles around Becciu

Apr 4, 2021

If you stand on a balcony and chuck a brick over the side, and that brick ends up hitting somebody in the street, it’s no defense to blame the law of gravity. Similarly, if you build a PR bomb and take no steps to defuse it, you don’t get to blame the media for the blast.

By John L. Allen Jr.

British judge: Vatican made ‘appalling’ claims in UK probe

Mar 26, 2021

A British judge has blasted Vatican prosecutors for making “appalling” misrepresentations to the court about their investigation into the Holy See’s investment in a London real estate deal, determining they don’t have much of a case against their key suspect.

By Nicole Winfield

Typically mild-mannered Parolin channels his inner daredevil

Feb 2, 2021

For those who know him, and many do, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State and thus the top aide to Pope Francis, is not typically a figure who conjures up the term “daredevil.” Yet over the last few days, we’ve seen Parolin channel his inner Evel Knievel in three distinct areas.

By John L. Allen Jr.