The Vatican seems to have an inexhaustible supply of moneychangers! However, Pope Francis continues to make good on his quest to clean up the international cesspool otherwise known as the Vatican Bank and hands out more pink slips than holy cards.
Last January, Pope Francis fired four out of the five supervising cardinals of the bank which had turned into a freewheeling money Laundromat when it was meant to be reserved for the needs of priests, nuns and religious orders. The next month he appointed an auditor general to institute new transparency rules and followed it up in March by shutting down a huge number of accounts which did not fit its mission.
Last week, he fired all five directors of the Financial Information Authority which oversees all the vast Vatican finances after his specially appointed Swiss money laundering expert complained that they were blocking him. In the past, the expert would have been cast out. He chose new directors from a diverse global background: only one of them an Italian and the first woman to hold such a high post at the Vatican.
With all the rigorous housekeeping that Pope Francis is doing, it is small wonder that his first--and most frequent--request of his flock is to pray for him.
So, what are you doing for dinner tonight? How does your garden look?