Pope Francis established that “all movable and immovable property” purchased by the Curia or by related entities belong to the “public” patrimony of the Holy See “not divisible and sovereign.”
“All property, movable and immovable, including availability in cash or titles, that have been or will be purchased, in any way, by Curial Institutions or entities linked to the Holy See, are ecclesiastical public goods and, as such, property, in its ownership or other right, of the Holy See in its entirety”, reads the first article of the “motu proprio” (papal document) published today.
These assets, according to Francisco in his disposition, are integrated into “the unitary, non-divisible and sovereign patrimony” of the Vatican.
In this way, the Argentine pontiff clarified one aspect, that of patrimony, of the so-called “native law”, with which the Catholic Church operates independently from the civil community and which allows it to acquire or manage real estate.
In the preamble to the “motu proprio” it is explained that the purchase of “temporary” goods is “one of the instruments that, with the support of the faithful, prudent administration and appropriate controls,assure the Apostolic See of acting in history, time and spacefollowing the objectives of the Church and with the independence necessary for the fulfillment of its mission”.
With this “law” Francis makes sure that the Vatican institutions that buy goods can manage them, but “they are not their owners” because they must always act in the name and under the authority of the pontiff.
In short, Francis does not change this doctrine, contained in articles 1,254 and 1,255 of the Code of Canon Law, but reaffirms the public nature of such purchases.
Specifically, the Law of the Church proclaims that “by native law and independent of civil power, the Catholic Church can acquire, retain, administer and dispose of temporal goods to achieve its own ends” such as “supporting divine worship, honestly supporting the clergy or do charitable works”.
The “motu proprio” comes precisely in the middle of a trial for alleged financial irregularities in the ruinous sale of a building in London by the Vatican Secretariat of State, in which ten people are accused, including the formerly powerful Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu.
The Vatican Secretariat for the Economy explained in a statement that these principles “are intended to be a guide for the action of the entire Holy See and urges everyone to follow the common good and the responsibility that the administration of ecclesiastical public affairs requires.”
Thus, according to article 2, “no institution or entity can claim its private and exclusive property.”
Francis provides for the entry into force of this “motu proprio”, with the consequent repeal “of all incompatible provisions” in Vatican legislation.