A “biased and trivial” presentation of “understandable” and human arguments and tensions in which facts were interpreted in a “factious” manner with the aim of “presenting the Church’s government structures...deeply marked by disagreements, divisions and clashes of interests”: this and nothing else - said the director of the Vatican newsroom, Fr. Federico Lombardi - is what emerged from the episode of “The Untouchables” broadcast by LA 7 the night before last.
The programme presented some letters by Mgr. Carlo Maria Viganò, the current Nuncio to the U.S. and until last october Secretary General - in other words number two man - of the Vatican City’s Governatorate, addressed to pope benedict XVI and to the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
In the letters, Viganò condemns the “corruption” that reigned over the Vatican Governatorate’s administration. He also sustains that his transferral to Washington was part of a campaign aimed at discrediting him and that it was planned by those who had taken profited from money squandering and inflated budgets. the letters say these individuals had been disturbed by his financial clean up and restructuring.
The television documentary is authored and presented by Gianluigi Nuzzi, author of a book on the accounts of the Institute for Works of Religion (the Vatican Bank), entitled Vaticano S.p.A. (Vatican Ltd).
The director of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, Giovanni Maria Vian also took part in the programme.
Fr. Lombardi stated that in response to the “serious” accusations made during the programme, particularly “with regard to the members of the Finance and Management Committee of the Governatorate and the Secretary of State,” the Secretary of State itself and the governatorate “are making every effort to take all steps necessary, even legal if necessary, to guarantee the respectability of morally sound individuals of renowned professionalism who loyally serve the Church, the Pope and the common good.”
In the note published yesterday morning, the Vatican’s spokesman criticised the “questionable nature of the journalistic ploys used” in the programme, including the “diffusion of confidential documents.”
But, he added, this is a “too frequently used” method of using “factious information on the Vatican and the Catholic Church.”
Furthermore, Lombardi added, Mgr. Viganò’s dispatch to the U.S. as Nuncio to the Holy See “is proof of the unquestionable respect and trust the Pope has towards him.”
The statement emphasises the “very positive” results of the work carried out by Mgr. Viganò during his time in the Governatorate, characterised by “administrative rigour” and “straightening out of an difficult overall economic situation.”
According to Fr. Lombardi, these results must be seen in context, for example in light of the increased number of visitors to the Vatican Museums - which is where the Governatorate gets most of its funds from and in light of market performance and ends “that are not purely economic but of support to the mission of the Vatican State’s universal Church.”
In any case, even with Mgr. Viganò’s transferral, the criteria of “a correct and sound administration and of transparency” which he was inspired by, continue to be at the forefront of the Governatorate’s management.
Fr. Lombardi underlined that the “understandable differences in opinion and position” were presented in a biased and trivial manner, with emphasis placed on the negative aspects. This inevitably resulted in a presentation of the Church government structures not so much as bodies that are also liable to human fragility - that would be easily understandable - but rather as structures that are deeply marked by disagreements, divisions and clashes of interests.”
In relation to this point, Fr. Lombardi stated “without fear” that “there is a tendency to grossly exaggerate the real facts,” because the current “state of the Governatorate in general, is not as negative as the programme would have us think.”
Furthermore, he added, “this level of misinformation definitely cannot hide the peaceful daily efforts towards an ever greater transparency on the part of all Vatican institutions.”
Finally, the Vatican spokesman’s statement concluded, “we must not forget that the Church’s Government is headed by a Pope whose deep and prudent judgement is indubitably honest and guarantees the serenity and trust that are rightly expected by those who work in service of the Church and all its faithful.”
For his part, the journalist and presenter of the programme, Gianluigi Nuzzi stated that “We have done our duty as journalists, drawing attention to certain documents, verifying their authenticity and publishing them."
"Perhaps the story of a bishop who condemns certain dealings involving the Holy Father, which he believes to be corrupt, putting them down on paper, is an unprecedented one.”