Fight against Vatican corruption entails extreme vigilance, says the Holy Father

Pope Francis, in his meeting on Monday with the Vatican’s Office of the Auditor General, urged the staff to fight the "insidiousness of corruption" in the Holy See and Vatican City State.

“Those who work at the Holy See and the Vatican City State certainly do so faithfully and honestly, but the lure of corruption is so dangerous that we must be extremely vigilant,” he said in his speech, as he stressed the importance of removing corruption in the Vatican. 

“I know you dedicate much time to this,” he said, stressing the need to balance “absolute transparency in every action” with “merciful discretion.”

This is because scandals, said the Pope, “serve more to fill the pages of the newspapers than to correct behaviour in depth.” “I invite you to help those responsible for the administration of the Holy See's assets to create safeguards that can prevent, ‘upstream’, the insidiousness of corruption from materializing.”

Pope Francis emphasized three of the audit office’s core characteristics: independence, attention to international principles, and professionalism.

The Office is truly independent, the Pope said, because it “does not depend hierarchically on other entities.  However, the Pope advised that this should prompt "action that is always well considered and motivated by the highest principle of charity."

Attention to international principles is important “to promote equity and alignment with the rest of the international community,” said the Pope.

Professionalism is key, said the Pope, as he noted that many members of the office possess “decades of high-level experience" and are dedicated to continuous on-the-job education.

Pope Francis notes that “it is a real moral obligation for you to be up-to-date about the continuing evolution” of the field.

In the conclusion of his speech, Pope Francis said, “I know that some of you serve at the Caritas soup kitchen.  This is a beautiful thing, and I want to say to you: Do it with an open heart, simply and freely, and take time to talk to people and listen to their stories.”

Pope Francis thanked his staff for their work and greeted them and their families with his “best wishes for Holy Christmas.”