Now would be a good time for Cameron to start listening

Now would be a good time for Cameron to start listening

In one of the largest joint letters of its kind, over 1000 priests have signed a letter to the Daily Telegraph calling on MPs to reject the legislation for same-sex marriage. Here is the text:

Same-sex marriage law

SIR – After centuries of persecution, Catholics have, in recent times, been able to be members of the professions and participate fully in the life of this country.

Legislation for same-sex marriage, should it be enacted, will have many legal consequences, severely restricting the ability of Catholics to teach the truth about marriage in their schools, charitable institutions or places of worship.

It is meaningless to argue that Catholics and others may still teach their beliefs about marriage in schools and other arenas if they are also expected to uphold the opposite view at the same time.

The natural complementarity between a man and a woman leads to marriage, seen as a lifelong partnership. This loving union – because of their physical complementarity – is open to bringing forth and nurturing children.

This is what marriage is. That is why marriage is only possible between a man and a woman. Marriage, and the home, children and family life it generates, is the foundation and basic building block of our society.

We urge Members of Parliament not to be afraid to reject this legislation now that its consequences are more clear.

The list of signatories is given on the Telegraph Letters page.

The third sentence makes an important point when it says that it is meaningless to say that we are free to teach our beliefs if we are also expected to teach the opposite view at the same time. The question of teaching something as true is at the heart of the debate over the freedom of the Church to teach. The Metropolitan elite want to pretend that they do not teach anything as objectively true but that they respect everyone's views. Any first year Philosophy undergraduate could see that this is incoherent since the principle of relativism is itself taught as an absolute truth which nobody may deny.

As Damian Thompson observes, this is not just a letter from traditionalists, but from priests across a wide spectrum of views within the Church. I found it very encouraging that priests who I thought might have just ignored the letter (that's all they had to do) took the trouble to sign it and post it in to the organisers. I am proud to stand beside them. This issue, and the firm and clear witness of our Bishops in the matter, has united the Catholic Church in our country. Congratulations to the young and dynamic priests who organised this highly significant act of witness.

Now would be a good time for Mr Cameron to start listening to the strength of opposition to his foolish and dangerous proposal. If he doesn't, those who hold influence in his party would be well-advised to bring him in for an "Interview Without Coffee."

Catholic priests voice same-sex marriage fears

The signatories fear a same-sex marriage law could leave Catholics unable to fully participate in UK life

More than 1,000 Roman Catholic priests have signed a letter voicing fears that same-sex marriage legislation will restrict religious freedoms.

The letter, in the Daily Telegraph, says a law change would "severely restrict" Catholics' ability to "teach the truth about marriage in schools".

According to the newspaper, it is one of the biggest joint letters of its type ever written.

The 1,067 signatories include 13 bishops.

They include the Rt Rev Peter Brignall, Bishop of Wrexham; the Rt Rev Malcolm McMahon, Bishop of Nottingham and the Rt Rev Philip Egan, Bishop of Portsmouth.

The government announced plans in December to introduce same-sex marriages before the next election, in 2015.

It is proposed that the Church of England and Church in Wales will be banned in law from offering such ceremonies, while no other religious organisation will be compelled to carry out same-sex marriages.

The Equal Marriage Bill is due to be published this month.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, has called on opponents of gay marriage to lobby MPs "clearly, calmly and forcefully, and without impugning the motives of others".
'Arrested as bigots'
The letter to the Telegraph urges MPs "not to be afraid to reject this legislation".

It states that marriage is only possible between a man and woman and warns that a change in law will "severely restrict" Catholics' ability to "teach the truth about marriage in schools and other arenas if they are also expected to uphold the opposite view at the same time".

The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Philip Egan, told the Telegraph: "I am very anxious that when we are preaching in Church or teaching in our Catholic schools or witnessing to the Christian faith of what marriage is that we are not going to be able to do it, that we could be arrested for being bigots or homophobes."

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "We have been very clear that our plans for equal marriage will fully protect the freedom of religions bodies to preach, teach and put into practice their beliefs about marriage."

Abortion/Right-to-Life: NOT a women’s rights issue

Posted on 11 January 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

• For years I have been saying that abortion/right-to-life is the social justice issue of our day, the civil-rights issue, the human rights issue.

Liberals shove the unborn to the back of the bus while nattering about all manner of other “social justice” issues. The create a fog of other admittedly pressing concerns which obfuscates the root cause.
The great lie successfully foisted on us over the last few decades is that abortion and “choice”, etc., are women’s rights issues rather than human rights issues.
The right to be born is the justice issue. If this one isn’t in order, then the other social justice causes will be disordered.
Over at Catholic Vote I saw a good piece by Tom Hoopes, called “We Are the Civil Rights Movement Now”. He starts with “Consider the last full week in January as a week-long statement on civil rights in America.” Then, I think, he buries the lead. But he get back to it at the end:

Today, those of us who believe in the promissory note of the Declaration of Independence are still waiting. We are waiting for the self-proclaimed champions of civil rights to admit that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life.”
Those words don’t exclude anybody — not Native American Indians, not Mexicans, not African-Americans … and not the brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, we see only through ultrasound windows.
The pro-lifers who flood Washington on the Friday will see the inauguration in the right perspective — one step forward and two steps back in a civil rights battle that is far, far from over.
And we are humbled and a little frightened to see that we who refuse to ignore the right to life are the real civil rights movement now.

Benedict XVI: Bishops must be courageous, expect to be repeatedly beaten

Posted on 6 January 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

 

But, inevitably, we will also be beaten by those who live lives opposed to the Gospel, and then we can be grateful for having been judged worthy to share in the passion of Christ.

This is what Pope Benedict said today, Epiphany 2013, in his sermon for a Mass during which he consecrated four new bishops.
Here is the sermon, with my emphases and comments.



Dear Brothers and Sisters,

For the Church which believes and prays, the Wise Men from the East who, guided by the star, made their way to the manger of Bethlehem, are only the beginning of a great procession which winds throughout history. [Keep in mind that, for Benedict, as he explained in his newest volume (US hardcover HERE. Kindle HERE), the Magi or Wise Men are historical figures. The Gospel are also historical documents.] Thus the liturgy reads the Gospel which relates the journey of the Wise Men, together with the magnificent prophetic visions of the sixtieth chapter of the Book of Isaiah and Psalm 71, which depict in bold imagery the pilgrimage of the peoples to Jerusalem. Like the shepherds, who as the first visitors to the newborn Child in the manger, embodied the poor of Israel and more generally those humble souls who live in deep interior closeness to Jesus, so the men from the East embody the world of the peoples, the Church of the Gentiles – the men and women who in every age set out on the way which leads to the Child of Bethlehem, to offer him homage as the Son of God and to bow down before him. [and so, I think, by implication, those who are not so humble!] The Church calls this feast “Epiphany” – the appearance of the Godhead. If we consider the fact that from the very beginning men and women of every place, of every continent, of all the different cultures, mentalities and lifestyles ["modi... di vita"], have been on the way to Christ, then we can truly say that this pilgrimage and this encounter with God in the form of a Child is an epiphany of God’s goodness and loving kindness for humanity (cf. Tit 3:4).
Following a tradition begun by Pope John Paul II, we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord also as the day when episcopal ordination will be conferred on four priests who will now cooperate in different ways in the ministry of the Pope for the unity of the one Church of Jesus Christ in the multiplicity of the Particular Churches. [Even if they are now only titual.] The connection between this episcopal ordination and the theme of the pilgrimage of the peoples to Jesus Christ is evident. It is the task of the Bishop in this pilgrimage not merely to walk beside the others, but to go before them, showing the way. But in this liturgy I would like to reflect with you on a more concrete question. [classic Ratzinger] Based on the account of Matthew, we can gain a certain idea of what sort of men these were, who followed the sign of the star and set off to find that King who would establish not only for Israel but for all mankind a new kind of kingship. What kind of men were they? And we can also ask whether, despite the difference of times and tasks, we can glimpse in them something of what a Bishop is and how he is to carry out his task.
These men who set out towards the unknown were, in any event, men with a restless heart. [ENTER (stage right): St. Augustine] Men driven by a restless quest for God and the salvation of the world. They were filled with expectation, not satisfied with their secure income and their respectable place in society. They were looking for something greater. They were no doubt learned men, quite knowledgeable about the heavens and probably possessed of a fine philosophical formation. But they desired more than simply knowledge about things. [Can you hear the scientia and sapientia pairing behind this?] They wanted above all else to know what is essential. They wanted to know how we succeed in being human. And therefore they wanted to know if God exists, and where and how he exists. Whether he is concerned about us and how we can encounter him. Nor did they want just to know. They wanted to understand the truth about ourselves and about God and the world. Their outward pilgrimage was an expression of their inward journey, the inner pilgrimage of their hearts. They were men who sought God and were ultimately on the way towards him. They were seekers after God. [Though visible signs, too.]
[QUAERITUR:] Here we come to the question: What sort of man must he be, upon whom hands are laid in episcopal ordination in the Church of Jesus Christ? We can say that he must above all be a man concerned for God, for only then will he also be truly concerned about men. [There is a hierarchy to our relationships, at which God is the summit. If that relationship is disordered, all other relationships will be disordered, less than they ought to be.] Inversely, we could also say that a Bishop must be a man concerned for others, one who is concerned about what happens to them. He must be a man for others. But he can only truly be so if he is a man seized by God, if concern for God has also become for him concern for God’s creature who is man. [There is more to this than meets the eye. Read that in the light of the Holy Father's 2012 address to the Roman Curia in which he spoke about the problems that confront society today, including the problem of scrambled "gender".] Like the Wise Men from the East, a Bishop must not be someone who merely does his job and is content with that. No, he must be gripped by God’s concern for men and women. [Not his own concern... or rather, he subordinates his concern and harmonizes it to God's concern. And what does God want for us? Salvation.] He must in some way think and feel with God. Human beings have an innate restlessness for God, but this restlessness is a participation in God’s own restlessness for us. Since God is concerned about us, he follows us even to the crib, even to the Cross. “Thou with weary steps hast sought me, crucified hast dearly bought me, may thy pains not be in vain”, the Church prays in the Dies Irae. [Again, classic Ratzinger. Here he is at Epiphany and, after bringing in an Augustinian theme, he quotes the Dies Irae.] The restlessness of men for God and hence the restlessness of God for men must unsettle the Bishop. This is what we mean when we say that, above all else, the Bishop must be a man of faith. For faith is nothing less than being interiorly seized by God, [This is the fides qua, the gift.] something which guides us along the pathways of life. Faith draws us into a state of being seized by the restlessness of God and it makes us pilgrims who are on an inner journey towards the true King of the world and his promise of justice, truth and love. On this pilgrimage the Bishop must go ahead, he must be the guide pointing out to men and women the way to faith, hope and love. [Augustine in his Confessions describes, according to ancient notions of gravity, how the heart strives to go to the place where it will be at rest. That is why, away from God, the heart is restless. Augustine says, amor meus pondus meum... my love is my weight.]
Faith’s inner pilgrimage towards God occurs above all in prayer. Saint Augustine [and there he is...] once said that prayer is ultimately nothing more than the realization and radicalization of our yearning for God. Instead of “yearning”, we could also translate the word as “restlessness” and say that prayer would detach us from our false security, from our being enclosed within material and visible realities, and would give us a restlessness for God and thus an openness to and concern for one another. The Bishop, as a pilgrim of God, must be above all a man of prayer. He must be in constant inner contact with God; his soul must be open wide to God. He must bring before God his own needs and the needs of others, as well as his joys and the joys of others, and thus in his own way establish contact between God and the world in communion with Christ, so that Christ’s light can shine in the world. [There is a liturgical implication for this. Prayer which detaches us from our false security is, supremely, Holy Mass. Holy Mass, celebrated properly, should detach us from our false security, leave us restless. It should, ideally, leave us unsettled to the point even of being filled with awe at transcendence, an awe that verges on the holy fear that is the beginning of wisdom (sapientia). During Mass we should be brought through the outward signs and the spaces between the signs to encounter the mystery which is tremendum et fascinans. Yes, should detach us from false security. How can it not, if it is truly prayer?]
Let us return to the Wise Men from the East. These were also, and above all, men of courage, the courage and humility born of faith. Courage was needed to grasp the meaning of the star as a sign to set out, to go forth – towards the unknown, the uncertain, on paths filled with hidden dangers. We can imagine that their decision was met with derision: the scorn of those realists who could only mock the reveries of such men. [How many bishops today, courageous bishops who speak with clarity, are derided in the mainstream media?] Anyone who took off on the basis of such uncertain promises, risking everything, could only appear ridiculous. But for these men, inwardly seized by God, the way which he pointed out was more important than what other people thought. For them, seeking the truth meant more than the taunts of the world, so apparently clever.
How can we not think, in this context, of the task of a Bishop in our own time? The humility of faith, of sharing the faith of the Church of every age, will constantly be in conflict with the prevailing wisdom of those who cling to what seems certain. Anyone who lives and proclaims the faith of the Church is on many points out of step with the prevalent way of thinking, even in our own day. Today’s regnant agnosticism has its own dogmas and is extremely intolerant regarding anything that would question it and the criteria it employs. [You can say that again!] Therefore the courage to contradict the prevailing mindset is particularly urgent for a Bishop today. He must be courageous. And this courage or forcefulness does not consist in striking out or in acting aggressively, but rather in allowing oneself to be struck and to be steadfast before the principles of the prevalent way of thinking. The courage to stand firm in the truth is unavoidably demanded of those whom the Lord sends like sheep among wolves. “Those who fear the Lord will not be timid”, says the Book of Sirach (34:16). The fear of God frees us from the fear of men. It liberates. [Remember the Holy Father's first sermon as Bishop of Rome? "My dear friends – at this moment I can only say: pray for me, that I may learn to love the Lord more and more. Pray for me, that I may learn to love his flock more and more – in other words, you, the holy Church, each one of you and all of you together. Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves. Let us pray for one another, that the Lord will carry us and that we will learn to carry one another."]
Here I am reminded of an episode at the very beginning of Christianity which Saint Luke recounts in the Acts of the Apostles. After the speech of Gamaliel, who advised against violence in dealing with the earliest community of believers in Jesus, the Sanhedrin summoned the Apostles and had them flogged. It then forbade them from preaching in the name of Jesus and set them free. Saint Luke continues: “As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the name of Jesus. And every day… they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah” (Acts 5:40ff.). The successors of the Apostles must also expect to be repeatedly beaten, [!] by contemporary methods, if they continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that can be heard and understood. Then they can rejoice that they have been considered worthy of suffering for him. Like the Apostles, we naturally want to convince people and in this sense to obtain their approval. Naturally, we are not provocative; on the contrary we invite all to enter into the joy of that truth which shows us the way. [On the other hand, the invitation is a provocation.] The approval of the prevailing wisdom, however, is not the criterion to which we submit. Our criterion is the Lord himself. If we defend his cause, we will constantly gain others to the way of the Gospel. But, inevitably, we will also be beaten by those who live lives opposed to the Gospel, and then we can be grateful for having been judged worthy to share in the passion of Christ.
The Wise Men followed the star, and thus came to Jesus, to the great Light which enlightens everyone coming into this world (cf. Jn 1:9). As pilgrims of faith, the Wise Men themselves became stars shining in the firmament of history and they show us the way. The saints are God’s true constellations, which light up the nights of this world, serving as our guides. [classic Ratzinger] Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Philippians, told his faithful that they must shine like stars in the world (cf. 2:15).
Dear friends, this holds true for us too. It holds true above all for you who are now to be ordained Bishops of the Church of Jesus Christ. If you live with Christ, bound to him anew in this sacrament, then you too will become wise men. Then you will become stars which go before men and women, pointing out to them the right path in life. All of us here are now praying for you, that the Lord may fill you with the light of faith and love. That that restlessness of God for man may seize you, so that all may experience his closeness and receive the gift of his joy. We are praying for you, that the Lord may always grant you the courage and humility of faith. We ask Mary, who showed to the Wise Men the new King of the world (cf. Mt 2:11), as a loving mother, to show Jesus Christ also to you and to help you to be guides along the way which leads to him. Amen.

 

Can we defeat Lord Falconer's Assisted Suicide Bill? Yes we can.

Can we defeat Lord Falconer's Assisted Suicide Bill? Yes we can.

And will there be HURRAH! HURRAH! HURRAH! on GENE'S WEEKEND MISCELLANY? For sure there will. Is the Pope a Catholic?

 

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

The Faith position

"Intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator" (CCC 2324).
The Church views euthanasia and assisted suicide as the direct killing of a human being and, therefore, an immoral act. Support for euthanasia and assisted suicide is not a matter of prudential judgment—there are never any reasons that justify such killing: "Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable" (CCC 2277).
A Catholic politician's support of these practices is promoting the culture of death and is not acceptable in the view of the Church.
Scrutinizing the position of Catholic politicians on this issue is very important. What was once unthinkable—the state endorsement of euthanasia—became a reality when the state of Oregon enacted a law legalizing physician-assisted suicide in 1997. Since then, similar legislation has been introduced in other states. This is an initiative that every Catholic citizen and politician must oppose.
Those who have watched the spread of the culture of death since the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 were not surprised that the same attitude that led to the legalization of abortion has opened the door to arguments in support of euthanasia.
The intrinsic dignity and sacredness of human life—the inalienable right to life—have been replaced by the primacy of personal preference and the protection of pleasure. In Evangelium Vitae (1995), John Paul II spoke directly to that issue: "When the prevailing tendency is to value life only to the extent that it brings pleasure and well-being, suffering seems like an unbearable setback, something from which one must be freed at all costs."
Rather than subjectively ending the lives of those who suffer, John Paul II has said that true compassion calls us to share in their suffering. In so doing, we may use appropriate levels of palliative care—pain relief—as long as we do not remove their personal experiences of life and death.
The ban against euthanasia does not mean that care-givers and families cannot stop extraordinary medical procedures used to keep their loved ones alive. To reject such treatment is not euthanasia, "it is the refusal of 'over-zealous' treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one's inability to impede it is merely accepted" (CCC 2278).
Choosing to stop such treatment is a prudential judgment belonging to the patient's family and the assisting physician. The need to make such judgments demonstrates how laws allowing euthanasia harm the relationship between doctors and patients. The Hippocratic Oath, taken by physicians since before the time of Christ, specifies that the physician "do no harm."
The euthanasia option fundamentally changes the relationship between doctor and patient: Patients can no longer trust their doctors to absolutely seek life over death.
But what if a patient seeks help in hastening his or her death? Some argue that this consent justifies what is known as assisted suicide. Yet Church teaching is clear in its rejection of suicide ever being morally permissible, even under conditions of extreme suffering. "Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life . . . [and] is contrary to love for the living God" (CCC 2281).
Just as a person should not "put someone out of his misery" by means of euthanasia, he should not assist someone in committing suicide.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide belong to those sets of moral obligations that allow no exception to Catholic teaching. They are among those acts that "are a supreme dishonor to the Creator" (Gaudium et Spes, 27).
Thus, along with abortion, a politician's support for euthanasia disqualifies him or her from the Catholic vote.

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide – Catholic Teaching

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide – Catholic Teaching

By: Msgr. Charles Pope
 

One of my privileges as a priest is to have accompanied many people on their final journey toward death. I also journeyed with my father in his last days. (My mother died suddenly so I was not able to do that with her). But in making these journeys I have come to discover that some of God’s greatest and most necessary work takes place in and during the dying process. When a person who has faith is dying many powerful things begin to happen. I have seen pride melt away, I have seen powerful contrition for past sins emerge. I have seen gratitude intensify, both in the one who is dying and in the love ones who surround him or her. I have heard beautiful words like, “I just want to be with God now….I want to go home.” I have seem a letting go and a letting of God take over. And even in the painful sight of once strong individuals reduced to weakness there is a kind of strange beauty. In the nursing homes of this land are people who once ran businessness, raised families, and led communities. Now many have returned to a kind of infancy. They cannot walk, or only with effort, some have to be fed, some can no longer talk, some clutch dolls and many even wear diapers. All this seems so horrible to many but important things are happening. The Lord says, Unless you change and become like little children you will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Mat 18:3) And really are those in nursing homes really so different than you and me right now. Are we not little children to God? Does he not have to provide for our every need? Does he not have to feed us, clothe us and enable us to speak? Perhaps with the elderly and dying it is just that the illusion of self-sufficiency has been shed.

So, among the elderly and dying there is important work being done by God. Yet today our world frequently does not understand or accept God’s ways. There is a kind of hatred of the Cross and a refusal to accept that the cross and suffering both have important roles n our lives. Increasingly there are those among us who demand the right to assisted suicide and that doctors should be legally permitted to end lives . In the midst of this, we as Christians must once again reaffirm our acceptance of the cross. We must also reaffirm God’s absolute sovereignty over the time and manner of our death. For individuals to demand a right to end their life ultimately threatens us all because it implicitly denies the dignity of the dying. Failing to understand this dignity will lead to poorer care and increasing pressure for the dying to end their lives and no longer burden us. Further it arrogantly ends God’s work, either considering it unnecessary or unfair. No one likes the cross, but as Christians we have been taught by Christ that the cross is both necessary and saving. Think carefully before you support assisted suicide through some sort of limited notion of compassion. The truest compassion is to want for someone what they truly need to be saved. Only God can ultimately say what this is. We do not have dignity because we can control our lives, we have dignity because our life is in God’s hands.

Here are some quotes from the Catechism on this topic:

Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible. Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable. Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded.

Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of “over-zealous” treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted. The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected.

Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. (CCC 2277-2279)

If you have time to watch this 14 minute video, it is a beautiful meditation on the process of dying with faith and the care of the dying. It is also an articulate defense of the Church’s Teaching against assisted suicide. If you know of anyone who is going through the dying of a loved one this video can be a great help and support.

Vatican now ‘cash only’

Vatican now ‘cash only’

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Published: 04 January, 2013, 00:21

Vatican City : A view shows St Peter's square (AFP Photo)

If a trip to Vatican is on your to do list, you’ll need plenty of cash for all the tickets, souvenirs and food. The world’s tiniest state has suspended all bank cards payments and emptied ATMs after it failed to comply with EU money laundering legislation
­Even the Vatican’s most visited landmarks and sights, like the world’s famous Vatican museum, are obliged to accept cash only. The measure also places restrictions on the pharmacy, the post office and a few shops.
It would not be such a problem for scores of tourists, if only they could take cash from ATMs. However, ‘hole in the wall’ machines have been emptied.
“A lot of tourists don’t have cash on them, so they have to get euros and don’t know where to get them,” an American tourist Fluger William Hunter, who was standing in line for the Vatican Museum, was quoted by media.
The ‘cash only’ rule came into force on January 1st and will be maintained until further notice after the Bank of Italy pulled its authorization of Deutsche Bank Italia, which has handled bank card transactions in the Vatican for 15 years.
The Italian central bank stated that the Vatican does not respect international anti money laundering norms and an Italian-registered bank can therefore not operate on its territory, local media reports.
Now the Vatican is trying to find a non-Italian bank that will be able to provide the banking services. A spokesman for the Vatican assured there would be a quick solution as talks were already taking place with other providers.
The Vatican has been trying to implement measures to detect and discourage money laundering and even hired a Swiss expert on the subject a few months ago.
Italy has tightened its own rules in recent years as it’s struggled to stop money laundering, mainly from Italian-based organized crime groups.