The Vatican on Friday sought to explain its presence for the first time on a U.S. list of countries that are a potential hub for money laundering, saying it was only natural to be included given its recent efforts to conform to international standards. The U.S. State Department this week released its International Narcotics Control Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Vatican’
Anonymous unable to complete Vatican website shutdown
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
Despite its best attempts, the hacker collective “Anonymous” was not able to bring the complete Vatican website down. As reported in Friday’s edition of CathNews, the Vatican’s website was off line on Wednesday 7 March, allegedly under attack from Anonymous. However, despite launching an attack for several hours, Anonymous was unsuccessful in completely shutting the Read more
U.S. adds Vatican to money-laundering ‘concern’ list
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012The Vatican has for the first time appeared on the U.S. State Department’s list of money-laundering centres but the tiny city-state is not rated as a high-risk country.
The 2012 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report was made public on Wednesday and Washington’s list of 190 countries classifies them in three categories: of primary concern, of concern and monitored.
The Vatican is in the second category, grouped with 67 other nations including Poland, Egypt, Ireland, Hungary and Chile.
It was added to the list because it was considered vulnerable to money-laundering and had recently established programmes to prevent it, a State Department official said.
“To be considered a jurisdiction of concern merely indicates that there is a vulnerability to a financial system by money launderers. With the large volumes of international currency that goes through the Holy See, it is a system that makes it vulnerable as a potential money-laundering center,” Susan Pittman of the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, told Reuters.
Read the article...Sex abuse, corruption, and absurd precepts: “Anonymous” attacks Vatican
Friday, March 9th, 2012
The Vatican website was off line Wednesday for a number of hours, allegedly attacked by the Italian branch of the hacker collective Anonymous. “Anonymous has now decided to lay siege to your site in response to the doctrines, liturgies and the precepts absurd and anachronistic that your organization is for profit (Roman Apostolic Church) propagates Read more
Vatican leaks continue to drip
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
The Vatican leaks scandal rolls on according to John Allen in the NCR, with an Italian newspaper publishing two confidential letters concerning the unpopular and powerful Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. The leaked letters expose a failed effort by Bertone to take control of an important Catholic university and hospital system. The aftermath, also Read more
Door of Vatican’s secret archive opens an inch
Friday, March 2nd, 2012Containing more than 80 kilometres of shelves packed with an unknown number of papal documents spanning 12 centuries, including correspondence with Genghis Khan’s grandson, Wolfgang Mozart and Adolf Hitler, the Vatican’s secret archive opened to the public for the first time yesterday, putting on show 100 documents in Rome.
Read the article...Assessing the talks between SSPX and the Vatican
Friday, March 2nd, 2012
It is almost a year now since the conclusion of the theological talks between the Society of St. Pius X and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. More than five months have passed since the General Superior of that priestly society received from the Vatican dicastery a “Doctrinal Preamble” which, the CDF maintains, Read more
Vatican mole appears on Italian TV
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
With voice distorted and face hidden, one of the Vatican whistle-blowers appeared on Italian Television saying the recent Vatican leaks are not about a power struggle but a code of silence perhaps surrounded by fear. The Vatican mole claimed on private Italian Television channel La7 to be one of more than 20 people in the Read more
Vatican astronomer marries faith, science
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
Brother Guy Consolmagno gets a lot of interesting looks and questions when he tells people he’s an astronomer for the Vatican Observatory. “That’s the reason the Vatican has an observatory, precisely so people will get that puzzled look on their face,” jokes the affable American, who’s visiting Vancouver to help Catholics celebrate the 400th anniversary Read more
Kenny stands firm on Vatican embassy closure
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012The Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny, reiterated in Rome yesterday the Government’s decision to close Ireland’s embassy to the Holy See.
Standing outside the Italian prime minister’s office — only a short distance from the Villa Spada which until recently was the residence of our ambassador to the Vatican — Mr Kenny stood firm on the controversial closure which was announced last year.
Read the article...