Pope Francis called for “absolute transparency” in Vatican financial affairs, as he met on December 11 with the staff of the Auditor General.
As the Vatican braces for the verdict in the financial-misconduct “trial of the century,” the Pontiff told the auditor’s staff that they should conduct their inquiries with “merciful discretion,” since scandals “serve more to fill the pages of the newspapers than to correct behavior in depth.”
Although he had delivered his own address at his Angelus audience on Sunday, Pope Francis opted to have an aide read his prepared remarks at the Monday meeting, because of recurrent breathing problems.