(Vatican Radio) A press briefing was held on Thursday morning, in the John Paul II Hall of the Press Office of the Holy See, for the presentation of the Annual Report of the Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria (the Financial Information Authority, AIF), on the activities of financial reporting and supervision, both with regard to prudential decisions and for the prevention and combatting of money laundering and the financing of terrorism during Year IV, 2015.
Present at the briefing, in addition to the Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, were the President of the AIF, Dr René Brülhart, and the Director of the AIF, Dr Tommaso Di Ruzza.
Below, please find the official Press Release regarding the 2015 Annual Report of the Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria:
AIF press release | Annual Report 2015 | Effective regulatory framework
The Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria(AIF) of the Holy See and the Vatican City State has presented its Annual Report for 2015. The report reviews the activities and statistics of AIF for the year 2015.
2015 has seen an effective implementation and application of the regulatory framework of the Holy See and the Vatican City State. Furthermore, international cooperation of the Vatican competent authority with its foreign counterparts to fight illicit financial activities has been intensified.
“The full implementation and application of Regulation No. 1 has shown the effectiveness of the regulatory framework of the Holy See and Vatican City State,” said René Brülhart, President of AIF. “International cooperation remains a key commitment of AIF. Additional Memoranda of Understandings with competent authorities of other jurisdictions were signed and the exchange of information on a bilateral level has increased significantly.”
The reporting system has been consolidated and in the last three years, 893 Suspicious Transaction Reports (STR) (202 in 2013, 147 in 2014 and 544 in 2015) have been filed with AIF.
“The increase of STRs was not due to higher potential illicit financial activities, but to a number of different factors, namely the finalization of the closure of client relationships no longer compliant with Vatican legislation and policies adopted by supervised entities, the monitoring of clients’ activities under foreign countries’ voluntary tax compliance programs as well as the general strengthening of the reporting system and the increased awareness of the supervised entities,” said Tommaso Di Ruzza, Director of AIF. In 2015, 17 reports were submitted to the Vatican Promoter of Justice for further investigation by judicial authorities.
The number of cases of bilateral cooperation between AIF and foreign competent authorities increased from 4 in 2012 to 81 in 2013 to113 in 2014 and 380 in 2015.
Since 2012, the number of declarations of outgoing cash above the amount of EUR 10,000 decreased steadily from 1,782 (2012) to 1,557 (2013) and 1,111 in2014 and remained stable in 2015 (1,196). Declarations for incoming cash also decreased from 598 (2012) to 550 (2013) to 429 in 2014 and 367 in 2015. This is due to an increased monitoring by the competent authorities and the introduction of reinforced procedures at the supervised entities.
About AIF
The Financial Information Authority is the competent authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State for supervision and financial intelligence for the prevention and countering of money laundering and financing of terrorism as well as prudential supervision.
Established by Pope Benedict XVI with the Apostolic Letter in form of Motu Proprio of 30 December 2010, AIF carries out its institutional activities in accordance with its new Statute introduced by Pope Francis with Motu Proprio of 15 November 2013 and Law No. XVIII of 8 October 2013.
In 2015, AIF signed MOUs with the financial intelligence units (FIUs) of Albania, Cuba, Luxemburg, Norway, Paraguay and Hungary. In previous years, AIF had already signed MOUs with the Authorities of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America, South Africa and Switzerland. AIF became a member of the Egmont Group in 2013.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The head of the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communications, Mgr Dario Viganò spoke about the ongoing reform of the Holy See’s media operations on Wednesday at a seminar for Catholic communicators which is taking place this week at the ‘Holy Cross’ Pontifical University.
Beyond simply reforming structures, Mgr Viganò stressed the need to renew the process of bringing the Good News of the Gospel to all people. Every euro spent in this field, he said, must be used to ensure that the Gospel and the teaching of the Pope reaches the hearts of all people. The goal, he said, is not to substitute for local churches but to support those communities that have the greatest needs.
Mgr. Viganò spoke of the reform ‘timeline’, which focuses this year on a closer integration of Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Centre, of which he is the former director. The reform process, he stressed, must go beyond a mere makeover and a change of names. Instead it must lead to a greater efficiency and interactivity through the use of new technologies, yet without forgetting those facing serious communications challenges.
Above all, he said, it is essential to “open the windows” and make sure we are responding to the questions of our users, rather than engaging in a navel-gazing exercise. In this effort, he said the keys are to be found in formation, reorganization, team building, participation and sharing. Finally he stressed that instead of a hierarchical leadership, the new Secretariat is placing the emphasis on a wide network which makes best use of the resource of all its members.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) A number of causes for canonization were advanced on Tuesday, including an Italian diocesan priest. A miracle attributed to Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco clears the way for his canonization.
Another miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable John Sullivan, an Irish Jesuit, was also recognized.
The decrees also recognize the martyrdom of several victims of Communism, including the Servants of God Fr José Antón Gómez, OSB, along with three other Benedictine priests, who were killed during the Spanish civil war; and Archbishop Nikollë Vinçenc Prennushi of Durrës (Durazzo), and 37 companions, killed under the Communist regime in Albania between 1945 and 1974. Pope Francis honoured the martyrs of Albania during his visit to that country in 2014.
Another country recently visited by the the Holy Father also saw one of its sons advanced along the path toward canonization, as the Congregation recognized the heroic virtues of Father Thomas Choe Yang-Eop, a Korean priest.
Below, please find Vatican Radio’s translation of the announcement of the promulgation of decrees concerning the Causes of Saints:
Pope Francis on Tuesday received in private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B., the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
During the audience, the Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees regarding:
the miracle, attributed to the intercession of Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco, diocesan Priest, Founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St John the Baptist; born 23 March 1839, died 6 February 1910;
the miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God John Sullivan, professed Priest of the Society of Jesus; born 8 May 1861, died 19 February 1933;
the martyrdom of the Servant of God Nikollë Vinçenc Prennushi, of the Order of Friars Minor, Archbishop of Durrës (Durazzo), and 37 companions, killed between 1945 and 1974;
the martyrdom of the Servant of God José Antón Gómez, and three companions, priests of the Order of St Benedict, killed in 1936;
the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Thomas Choe Yang-Eop, diocesan Priest; born 1 March 1821, died 15 June 1861;
the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Sosio Del Prete (né Vincenzo), professed Priest of the Order of Friars Minor, Founder of the Congregation of Little Handmaids of Christ the King; born 28 December 1885, died 27 January 1952;
the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Venantius Katarzyniec (né Joseph), professed Priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual; born 7 October 1889, died 31 March 1921;
the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Maria Consiglio dello Spirito Santo (née Emilia Pasqualina Addatis), Foundress of the Congregation of Sister Servants of the Sorrowful Mother; born 5 January 1845, died 11 January 1900;
the heroic virtue of the Servant of God María de la Encarnación (née Caterina Carrasco Tenorio), Foundress of the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis of the Rebaño de María ; born 24 March 1840, died 24 November 1917;
the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Maria Laura Baraggia, Foundress of the Sisters of the Family of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; born 1 May 1851, died 18 December 1923;
the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Ilia Corsaro, Foundress of the Little Missionaries of the Eucharist; born 4 October 1897, died 23 March 1977;
the heroic virtue of the Servant of God María Montserrat Grases García, Laywoman, of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and of Opus Dei ; born 10 July 1941, died 26 March 1959.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The story of the Good Samaritan and its lesson of “love thy neighbour” were at the heart of Pope Francis’ catechesis during the General Audience on Wednesday 27 April.
Below, we publish the Holy Father’s message to the English speaking pilgrims present in Saint Peter’s Square:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy, we now turn to the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus had taught the great commandment of love for God and neighbour. In reply to the question: “Who is my neighbour?”, he recounts the story of the priest and the levite who pass by a man in need at the side of the road. Their religiosity is ultimately inauthentic, for it does not find expression in service to others. Love, the Lord tells us, is never abstract or distant; it “sees” and it responds. The compassion shown by the Samaritan is an image of the infinite mercy of God, who always sees our needs and draws near to us in love. The command to love God and neighbour, then, is supremely practical; it entails caring for others even to the point of personal sacrifice. By the end of the parable, we see that the “neighbour” is not so much the man in need, but rather the one who responded to that need with compassion. Jesus tells all of us to be neighbours in this sense: “Go and do likewise”. He himself is the model of the Good Samaritan; by imitating his love and compassion, we show ourselves truly to be his followers.
I greet the English-speaking visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the pilgrims from England, Sweden, Slovakia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America. In the joy of the Risen Lord, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father. May the Lord bless you all!
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said Tuesday that the clergy should serve lay people and not make use of them and spoke out against clericalism, calling it one of the greatest distortions affecting the Church in Latin America. His comments came in a wide-ranging letter reflecting on the role of the laity that was addressed to Cardinal Marc Ouellet, President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. The Pope’s letter was a follow-up to the commission’s recent Plenary Assembly whose theme was “the indispensable role of the lay faithful in the public life of Latin American countries.” In his letter, Pope Francis explained that he wished to follow-up the discussions and reflections that emerged during the Plenary Assembly in order to prevent them “from not bearing fruit.”
He urged the clergy to look closely at the people and lives of the lay faithful and avoid falling into the trap of adopting certain slogans on their behalf that seem well-meaning but in practice don’t succeed in supporting the lives of our communities. Pointing to the example of a famous phrase “it’s time for the laity,” he noted that in this particular case, that clock has ground to a halt.
We must remember, he said, that as clergy we all began our lives as lay people and that “we’d do well to recall that the Church is not an elite of priests, of consecrated people, of bishops but all of us make up the faithful and Holy People of God.”
Turning to the issue of clericalism, the Pope said he considered it the outcome of “a mistaken way of living out the ecclesiology proposed by the Second Vatican Council” and described clericalism as “one of the greatest distortions affecting the Church in Latin America.” He said clericalism has many negative impacts such as wiping out the personality of Christians and causing a belittling of the grace of our baptism that the Holy Spirit has placed in the hearts of lay people. Clericalism, he reminded, “forgets that the visibility and the sacramentality of the Church belong to all the people of God and not just to an illuminated and elected few.”
On the positive side, Pope Francis noted that Latin America is characterized by many examples of popular ministry and piety, saying it is one of the few spaces where the laity (including their pastors) and the Holy Spirit have been able to come together without clericalism which he said “seeks to control and put a brake on this anointment by God of the faithful.” He warned that this popular ministry “has its limits” and can sometimes lead to distortions of religion but said if it is “steered properly” it can generate many excellent human values such as generosity, devotion, sacrifice and openness to others.
Pope Francis spoke of the importance of giving encouragement and support to the efforts of the lay faithful who work in the public sphere but at the same time stressed “it is not the job of the pastor to tell the lay people what they must do and say” in those situations, adding “they know more and better than us.” “It’s illogical and even impossible,” he continued, “for us as pastors to believe that we have the monopoly on solutions for the numerous challenges thrown up by contemporary life.”
In conclusion, the Pope reiterated that the lay faithful are the protagonists of the Church and the world and stressed that “we are called to serve them, not to make use of them.”
Listen to this report by Susy Hodges:
(from Vatican Radio)…