Vatican Bank, technically called the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), is destined to stay but it will be reformed so as to be more transparent and accountable. This was the decision taken by Pope Francis who was acting on the advice of his international Council of Cardinals and other advisory groups. However, the details of the changes have not been published as yet.

It was in June 2013 that a commission was set up by Pope Francis to study whether the way the bank operated was in synchronisation with the mission of the Church. The Pope had said he had been faced with different suggestions about the bank. He preferred to listen to the opinion of the commission he set up before taking a decision.

Baptism for child with lesbian parents

Archbishop Carlos Nanez of Cordoba, Argentina, defended his decision to baptise a child being raised by her mother and her lesbian partner. He said the girl had a right to be baptised and that the baptism does not mean ecclesiastical approval of the couple’s lifestyle. He denied he had allowed the couple to receive the sacrament of confirmation.

The parents and godparents had given a commitment that the child would be brought up as a Catholic. He added that he has spoken about the case with Cardinal Antonio Canizares, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, “so the Holy See is aware of this”.

Gypsies are the EU’s largest ethnic minority

Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants, argued that gypsies, also known as Roma people, “have the right to be recognised at least as ethnic minorities in the countries where they live since they are the largest minority in the European Union”.

Cardinal Veglio, in a message sent to the meeting of the International Catholic Committee for Gypsies, said that gypsies “need the humanity of the society in which they live in order to feel like members of the human family”. He added that it was necessary to tear down the walls being built to divide the peoples of the same continent, people from the same country or the same city.

Religious persecution reported in Vietnam

The Human Rights Commission of the US House of Representatives heard testimony of religious persecution in Vietnam. Eric Schwarz, a member of the Commission on International Religious Freedom, said Vietnam was an authoritarian state ruled by the Communist Party.

“The Vietnamese government exerts control over religious activities through law and administrative oversight, restricts independent religious practice, and represses individuals and religious groups it views as challenging its authority.”

He added that converts to Protestantism and Catholicism face discrimination, intimidation, and pressure to renounce their faith.

‘Church in Crimea could lose legal status’

Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh, secretary-general of the Ukrainian Catholic Synod of Bishops, warned that the Church could lose its legal status in Crimea after it was annexed by Russia. He expressed his fear in the light of the fact that Greek Catholic communities have already been denied rights in the Russian Federation under Russian rule. He said he would use all means available in international fora to defend the Church.

The bishop said all religious communities have been ordered to register, an action that could indicate attempts to violate freedom of conscience and religion.

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)