Patrimony for the Pius? Not just Sunday, everyday. The Mussolini investments in Britain are currently controlled, along with its other European holdings and a currency trading arm, by a papal official in Rome, Paolo Mennini, who is in effect the popes merchant banker. Mennini heads a special unit inside the Vatican called the extraordinary division of APSA – Amministrazione del Patrimonio della Sede Apostolica – which handles the so-called patrimony of the Holy See. According to a report last year from the Council of Europe, which surveyed the Vaticans financial controls, the assets of Menninis special unit now exceed €680m (£570m). While secrecy about the Fascist origins of the papacys wealth might have been understandable in wartime, what is less clear is why the Vatican subsequently continued to maintain secrecy about its holdings in Britain, even after its financial structure was reorganised in 1999. The Guardian asked the Vaticans representative in London, the papal nuncio, archbishop Antonio Mennini, why the papacy continued with such secrecy over the identity of its property investments in London. We also asked what the pope spent the income on. True to its tradition of silence on the subject, the Roman Catholic churchs spokesman said that the nuncio had no comment.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 21:03:46 +0000
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