Pope Francis to Open the Vatican's Finances to Scrutiny

By Allison Jackson
GlobalPost
February 24, 2014

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/italy/140224/pope-francis-opens-the-vaticans-finances-to-scrutiny

Pope Francis waves to the faithful gathered in St.Peter's Square at the Vatican as he leads his Sunday prayers on January 12, 2014. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

Just when you thought Pope Francis couldn’t get any more popular, he goes and announces what has been described as his “boldest” move yet to clean up the Vatican’s scandal-plagued financial system.

The pope, who was appointed nearly a year ago with a mandate to overhaul the Catholic Church, said Monday he would invite outside experts to scrutinize the Vatican’s often-murky finances.

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The yet-to-be-appointed auditor general will “be empowered to conduct audits of any agency of the Holy See and Vatican City State at any time,” the Vatican said in a statement.

Pope Francis also announced the creation of a new body to oversee the Holy See's budgets and financial planning, as well as a central bank.