(VIS/Vatican Radio) Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office,
on Tuesday gave a briefing on the second meeting of the Holy Father and the Council
of Cardinals (C8). The meeting was also attended by Archbishop Pietro Parolin, secretary
of State, who will participate at all times, although he will be absent from this
afternoon's session due to an official appointment at the Italian embassy to the Holy
See. Fr. Lombardi communicated that yesterday afternoon the Council reflected on
the results of the Commission for Reference on the the Organisation of the Economic-Administrative
Structure of the Holy See (COSEA), presented during the preceding morning session.
The president of the Commission, Joseph F.X. Zahra, was the only member of the Commission
present. Msgr. Alfred Xuereb also attended today's meeting in his role as the papal
delegate to the Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Institute of Works of Religion. The
day's events began, as usual, at 7 a.m. with the celebration of Holy Mass in the Domus
Sanctae Marthae chapel; the meeting started at 9.30 a.m. in the same room where yesterday's
gathering was held. The morning was spent hearing the representatives of the Pontifical
Commission for Reference on the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known
as the Vatican Bank, instituted by chirograph on 24 June 2013. This Commission was
the result of the Holy Father's wish to acquire a better knowledge of the legal position
and the activities of the Institute to enable greater harmonisation of the latter
with the mission of the Universal Church and the Apostolic See, within the broader
context of reforms involving some of the Institutions which offer support to the Apostolic
See. Its task is to gather information on the functioning of the Institute and to
report the results to the Pontiff. The session was attended by Cardinal Raffaele
Farina, president; Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, member; Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta
Ochoa de Chinchetru, coordinator; and Msgr. Peter Bryan Wells, secretary. Professor
Mary Ann Glendon was not present as she does not reside in Rome. The Commission
presented the work carried out during these months, which was received with great
interest by the cardinals, and provided information on the current situation of the
Institute and the problems that it must face. Suggestions were offered for future
changes, although no decisions were made following the hearing. One of the key points
was the mission of the IOR in relation to the action of the Church in the world and
not only from the perspective of economic performance. Fr. Lombardi commented that
it is important to bear in mind, considering the work of the two Commissions, that
their aims are different but that they both fit into the contextual reality of the
Holy See; for this reason the Holy Father wishes to obtain an overall view with regard
to the reorganisation of its governance and structures.