VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service
Vatican City, 9 February 2012 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office has issued a communique rejecting claims made in an article entitled “Money Laundering: Four Priests under Investigation. The Silence of the Vatican” which appeared yesterday in the Italian newspaper “L’Unita”. Extracts from the communique are given below.
“The article … unfortunately reveals a considerable lack of serious research by the author.
“We must begin by making two introductory observations. The title of the article refers to silence on the part of the Vatican. … This is completely groundless because the Holy See and the authorities of the Vatican have duly cooperated with magistrates and other Italian authorities. The claims made in the article are merely a reworking of past criticisms. … They are, in fact, ‘recycled’ accusations which the same journalist has already published on a number of occasions in the past. Repeating them once again does not make them true; rather, we must ask ourselves whether the article was not intended as a kind of advertisement for an evening television show.
“As to the contents of the article, we must clarify the following”.
“The principal accusation is that the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) has been involved in illegal activity and that is has failed to assist the Italian authorities who were pursuing these individuals” (the alleged money launderers).
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