Francis accords sweeping powers to Pell’s Economy Secretariat

Pope Francis on Tuesday issued a motu proprio that consolidates the financial reforms that he initiated one year ago with the establishment of the Secretariat for the Economy under Australian Cardinal George Pell and the Council for the Economy under German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, writes James Roberts.

The norms specified in the motu proprio accord sweeping powers to Cardinal Pell, as well as setting up a new and powerful office of auditor-general. As head of the Secretariat for the Economy, Cardinal Pell has the power to issue executive decrees to all Vatican departments regarding their procedures, ensuring that their operations are carried out “efficiently” and “in compliance with the approved budgets”.
He will oversee the creation of a centralised budget for the whole of the Vatican, showing income and expenditure for each curial office. The cardinal also has right of approval of all sales and purchases of property by curial departments and institutions.

The as yet unnamed auditor-general will “in full autonomy and independence” investigate “anomalies in the activities of institutions and administrations”. He or she will be expected to review: activities that “deviate substantially” from approved budgets; “anomalies in use or ownership of financial resources or materials”; “irregularities” in accounts or in the awarding of agreements or contracts; and acts of “corruption, embezzlement or fraud”.

Cardinal Pell will have the power to ask the auditor-general to undertake these reviews.

The Council for the Economy will act “in the light of the Gospel and according to the social doctrine of the Church”. Its seven lay members and eight clerical will receive reports from the Secretariat and auditor-general.

The norms issued on Tuesday stipulate that Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin should work “in collaboration” with Cardinal Pell, but say the Secretary of State “has sole competence for matters relating to relations with States and other subjects of public international law”.