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| Franciscans at Prayer |
(Assisi / Rome) the information is still scarce and the situation is quite opaque. The headline is, however: Is The Franciscan Order (OFM) In Bankruptcy? What role did Father Rodriguez Carballo have? The transactions occurred during his tenure as Minister General of the Order. In 2013 he was appointed by Pope Francis as secretary of the religious congregation.
Worldwide, there are just over 14,000 Franciscans, the next come Minorites (OFM Conv) and Capuchins (OFM Cap) who form one of the three branches of directly going back to Saint Francis of Assisi's first order. Characteristic features are the coarse brown tunics with a white rope and the rope symbol, called the cross of St. Anthony.
"Financial Shortfall" in Italy - Money Laundering in Switzerland?
For three months, the order's accounts have been reviewed by the General Curia. According to the Italian weekly magazine Panorama, the result is clear: there was a "financial shortfall" of tens of millions of euros. The Order, or rather the religious leadership, was deeply in debt and risking bankruptcy.
The starting point were the checks after the Swiss prosecutor's office last October, which seized accounts of the Franciscan Order seized with tens of millions of euros. They were suspect to have invested in companies that serve as money laundering.
The investments in Switzerland were made in the administration of José Rodriguez Carballo as Minister General. Rodriguez Carballo was, from 2003-2013, the 119th Minister General of the Order. On April 6, 2013, he was appointed by Pope Francis as secretary of the religious congregation. As such, he immediately gained notoriety because of the provisional administration of another Franciscan Order, the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate . The appointment of Carballos Rodriguez was the first major personnel decision of the current pontificate.
According to Panorama the mendicant orders of the "Poverello" of Assisi are liable to be killed by a mountain of debt and be insolvent. Specifically, it's about two different erroneous developments that might be related. In the first case there is the suspicion of deliberate mismanagement in Italy there by foreign persons may have enriched themselves with the help of the members of the orders. On the other hand it comes to bank accounts in Switzerland, which were confiscated by the Prosecutor.
Deposed General Treasurer of the Order
The minus due to mismanagement was, among other things, accumulated through the reconstruction of the hotel Il Cantico in Via Gregorio VII in Rome. The hotel management included the former General Treasurer of the Order, Father Giancarlo Lati. Meanwhile, he was replaced by Father Silvio De La Fuente. Officially "for health reasons" as the Order had announced. The Financial Administration of the Order is the focus of the investigation.
The Order is finding itself concerned about "financial difficulties in a critical situation," according to Father Michael Perry who has held office since 2013 as New Minister General.
The Swiss investigation must first be confirmed. If the seizure is to be valid, the question arises as to who is responsible. It is clear that there are more than 14,000 brothers who will suffer most because few have done wrong to the Order.
Persons Outside the Order and Members of Religious Order Under Suspicion
There are several "persons who are not members of the religious order" under suspicion. We are talking about maxi-rraud. After the internal checks it says in the Order, that the control and security mechanisms have been "compromised" or are "too weak" in financial matters. A more detailed clarification of who did and who did not play a role is sought.
In addition, "there seems to be a certain number of dubious financial operations made by brothers, who had been entrusted to the custody of the finances," said the Minister General. "The extent and scope of these operations have brought the financial stability of the General Curia in great danger."
It seems that both brothers as well as some persons foreign persons outside the order have put the Order into the jeopardy and caused great financial loss. General Minister Perry turned to the competent authorities in Italy after completion of internal audits. The "competent ecclesiastical centers" were well informed.
State authorities and the Vatican informed - begging letter to Provincials
The General Minister has asked all religious provincials for "financial aid" for the General Curia "to meet its payment obligations and above all to pay the high passive interest."
The General Government commissioned a "qualified legal counsel" to take the necessary steps. After the dismissal of the former Treasurer General, Father Pasquale Del Pezzo was called in turn to Rome. As special representative, all economic and financial functions are under the care of the General Curia.
He understood the "frustration" many brethren, as Minister General Perry. It was an "encouragement" to follow the example of Pope Francis, who had prompted with a "call for truth and transparency in the financial activities of the Church and of society."
In the Franciscan monasteries scattered all over the globe, there is much surprise. "With the contents of the letter I have" said the Minister General "thorough agreement," said Father Rosario Gugliotta, the curator of the Portiuncula Chapel and the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi, the most important church of the Franciscan Order.
What is the responsibility ex-Minister General Rodriguez Carballo?
Curia Archbishop Father José Rodriguez Carballo was Minister General, as the shady financial transactions were carried out with the assets of the Order. As secretary of the religious congregation, he signed, together with Cardinal Prefect Joao Braz de Aviz, the new "guidelines" because the Order's property was lackadaisically managed. In early August they were published.
He will also have to answer questions internally and answer questions. Whether Swiss Justice will deal with it is not yet clear.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: VaticanInsider
image: VaticanInsider
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG
St Francis was wedded to his "Lady Poverty" - when was the divorce ? He would not have worried about lack of cash, but would have trusted in God to supply all needs when they arose. Wealthy Franciscans are a contradiction in terms; if they can't live as mendicants, how are they Franciscans ? There are laity who have less.
ReplyDeleteWhy does the head office of the Franciscan order need money anyway?
ReplyDeleteThe order has changed drastically since the 1960s. Spirituality has given way to fundraising and liberal theology.
DeleteThe order has changed drastically since the 1960s. Spirituality has given way to fundraising and liberal theology.
DeleteIt maintains various funds for the missions and charitable works, a central office to coordinate the work of the order world wide...
ReplyDelete"Charity"
ReplyDeleteI hope prison is right around the corner for Francis' friend, Fr. "Pepe" Carballo.
ReplyDeleteSt. Francis did not hold with the accumulation of funds even for seemingly worthy reasons. Certainly not millions! Love of money is the root of evils after all...
ReplyDeleteWonder if some homosexual relationships are involved and exploited.
ReplyDeleteThis is the root of the problem and not money.
DeleteDo you have any evidence for this off-the-wall statement Anonymous (I notice that you do not sign any name to this accusation).
DeleteWere the funds turned over to Jewish bankers to "handle"?
ReplyDeleteYes in USA and Switzerland, mln euros safe in good friends' hands, homosex problems are all around in various orders.....don't forget who mons Ricca was in Uruguay and now he's in the hotel....nice Sunday.God bless+
ReplyDelete"Wonder if some homosexual relationships are involved and exploited"
ReplyDeleteOf course. The Vatican II Catholic Church is infested with homosexuals, in the seminaries, monasteries, religious Orders (all), and in the Vatican. Remember that Mons. Ricca is openly homosexual, and yet this worthless "pope" Francis has him in his trust and in a position of authority at his "Casa Santa Martha" (LOL).
There will be in the coming months more explosive scandals involving Pope Francis and his close assoiates than oyu would believe possible....more than anything under Paul VI, John Paul II or Benedict XVI.
The radical liberals in the Vatican and the Church think they are triumphant with bringing the weak but totally Catholic Pope Benedict XVI down. But watch them run for cover when Francis is brought down by scandal and dies in the midst of it all..
What the ---- do Jewish people have to do with any of this? At this moment, Jewish culture and liturgical traditions are far better than the worthless garbage we got for 50 years of Vatican II......and far better than the Pope we have at present.
ReplyDeleteBankers can be any race or religion. The idea of bankers being Jewish as an anti-Semetic stereotype.
As for the Franciscans and their troubles, don't cry much for them. Since the disaster of Vaican II, they have declined from nearly 29,000, to the less than 14,000 of today (-15,000+). They have closed literally hundreds of their monasteries across Europe, and also in Latin America and the USA. Their median age is in the high 60's, and in Italy and other places they have next to 0 vocations.
They will be gone soon, like all the other Orders.....wiped out by the plague of Vatican II.
I visited a Benedictine Traditionalist order about a month ago. Average Age 30, doubling in size every four years. Note, they are traditional, pre 1962 Mass, Latin, Beauty, reverence. Real Catholics and God is blessing them. Hopefully our new Pope won't mess with them.
DeleteThe Franciscans are in the forefront of the Modernist invasion of doctrine. St. Francis predicted the downfall of his order and it has come true. It appears that doctrinal intrigue and financial intrigue go hand in hand.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Capuchin Friar Volpi has devoured the one orthodox, converting and growing Franciscan Institute, at the behest of the Pope. Blessed Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle . . .
ReplyDeleteBefore you lob the very tiresome charge of "anti-semitism" toward anyone that dares to question a possible role of Jewish bankers in this whole fiasco, the questioner was simply asking if Jewish bankers were involved in the Franciscan financial dealings. Well, were they?
ReplyDeleteThe Masons and Jews obviously benefit from the demise of anything related to Holy Mother Church. The role of the Masons in the "plague" (your word) of Vatican ll has been established over and over. They are delighted to see the demise of so much good that was in the Church prior to Vatican ll.
So, it is logical that they would each have their part in the demise of an ancient and respected religious order.
The questioner has every right to ask this question and you need to calm down and do some research about the question.
I do not think that the Jews delight in the destruction of the Catholic Church and it's tradition in the wake of the plague....yes indeed,plague of Vatican II. But the Masons (Protestants all), yes indeed. Secretely, the Protestants are delighted at the collapse of the Catholic Church. But they should not gloat...seeing the collapse of their own religious house. No one goes to the Protestant churches in Europe at all anymore. They may be the State sanctioned "churches", but no one goes.
ReplyDeleteRestoration of the vow of poverty .
ReplyDeleteIf you think that the Jews are favourably disposed towards the Church and
ReplyDeletethat it is only the 'plague of Vatican II' that needs to be feared/blamed, then perhaps you should brush up your knowledge about such Jewish names as Jules Isaac, who was virulently anti-Gospel - esp. Matthew, yet had many influential friends at Vatican II.
Isaac was not a lone figure. The collaboration between the Jewish lobby and the progressive liberals at V II led to a situation where in January 1966 the magazine "Look" with a readership of 7,500,000 was able to publish a leading article by their senior editor Joseph Roddy entitled "How the Jews changed Catholic Thinking". The article gave many details of secret negotiations held in New York and Rome by Cardinal Bea with the leaders of great world Jewish organisations: B'nai Brith, American Jewish Committee, and others.
The Metz Pact circa 1962
DeleteCardinal Bea was a devil. His disciple, Cardinal Willebrands was even worse.
ReplyDelete