Pope sacks four Bank overseers

Four Cardinals, including ­former Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone SDB, have been sacked by Pope Francis from a five-member commission that oversees the activities of the Vatican Bank.

The Vatican announced on Wednesday that Francis also dismissed Cardinals Odilo Scherer (Brazil), Telesphore Toppo (India) and Domenico Calcagno (Vatican), while retaining only Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the Pontifical Council for Inter­-religious Dialogue. All but Calcagno were only 11 months into a second, five-year term, ­appointments Benedict XVI made 12 days before he resigned.

Pope Francis has replaced the men on what is formally called the Commission of Cardinals over­seeing the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) with Cardinals Christoph Schönborn (Vienna), Thomas Collins (Toronto), Santos Abril y Castello´ (St Mary Major) and Cardinal-designate Pietro Parolin (Secretary of State).

The members of the commission are to elect a president in the coming days when the commission holds its first meeting. Cardinal Bertone was the president until Wednesday’s announcement.