The Pope vs. Corruption in the Roman Curia - a Book Review

Pope Francis is both a monarchical sovereign of a small political state and spiritual head of over a billion religious adherents. The weight of responsibility this position entails is difficult to imagine let alone appreciate, whether one is a believing Catholic or not. Gianluigi Nuzzi, in his shocking expose "Merchants in the Temple - Inside Pope Francis's Secret Battle Against Corruption in the Vatican" lays bare the heavy burdens of this dual role.

The recipient of leaked documents, the leaking rightfully decried by the Pontiff as a deplorable crime, Italian journalist Nuzzi, nonetheless sheds a glaring light on the sinful as well as criminal shenanigans of Vatican bureaucrats, mostly clerics of high office, who control the inner workings of the governing and other dicasteries (departments) of the Holy See. Although I'm not sure that pope Francis doesn't come out as an intrepid reformer worthy of more respect and praise for his humility and humanity than he has already been accorded. His two predecessors, as Nuzzi illustrates, were unable and to a certain extent unwilling, to get down and dirty with the mundane economic shortcomings and scandals of the entrenched Curia bureaucrats. These were leaders of the departments that control the finances of the Holy See: the central bank of the Vatican, which also manages the vast real estate holdings of the Church; the Governorate, the body in charge of museums, commercial activities, contracts for maintenance of facilities, the post office and telephone services; the Prefecture for Economic Affairs, which oversees all the Vatican offices; and the IOR, the bank that administers assets earmarked for religious work and charity.

Sadly, the wrongdoing of these men, for the most part, Cardinals, included practices tied to procedures for beatification and canonization and the management of Peter's Pence, the money sent to Rome from all over the world to be used for relief to the poor. In July of 2013, four months after his election, Pope Francis appointed a new commission of inquiry into the Vatican finances: the Commission for Reference on the Organization of the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See (COSEA). Nuzzi's focus is mainly on this Commission and its relationship to the labyrinthine ways of Vatican skullduggery,

There are good guys of course in all of this, but the utter mendacity of so many, and the scope of the wrongdoing, - e.g. of the roughly 56 million Euros taken in through the 2012 Peter's Pence , 67% was spent on the Curia and another 12.4% was not used, but set aside as reserves of the Peter Pence's fund - would rival just about any other financial scandal of a purely secular governmental structure. Actual bugging of confidential meetings occurs. Break-ins of safes where sensitive documents are thought secure happens. Regal lifestyles of some of the Cardinals is documented, including believable excursions of a few into the demimonde of sexual depravity. Quis custodiet custodes? (Who watches the watchmen?)

If one were given to fantasy and Nuzzi's book fiction, a hoped for denouement to the author's work would be something like a Greek drama's "deus ex machina" solution to the problem - or more fantastic, a grade school -like comic-book ending where the Bat-Priest (aka Franco Bergoglio, a lowly curate laboring in Trastevere, the poorest section of Rome ) and his sidekick Reuben (aka Ricardo Goldenson, young local CPA of another religious persuasion) suddenly swoop down from Bernini's columns in St. Peter’s Square to resolve the whole kit and kaboodle of financial mendacities. But Nuzzi's book is not fiction, alas, and not pretty at that. Its harsh reality stares us in the face.

"Merchants" is not an easy read, though rather short, 208pp. and unhappily lacks an Index, although an organizational chart of the Vatican City State at the beginning is very helpful. A reader with a background in Economics would appreciate the fine points of financial intricacy more than the average layperson, although that is not necessary, Nuzzi's language is clear, but the litany of all the deviltry in the heart of Catholic Church's governing body might be a bit depressing for some. The author leaves some doubt as to whether Pope Francis will succeed in bringing his mission of reform to completion, but he gives him more than sufficient praise for the courageous attempt.

This author is retired former college instructor of philosophy, theology and literature.

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