Pope sets up Pontifical Commission to study IOR reform
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has established a Pontifical Commission charged with
drawing up an “exhaustive” report into the juridical standing and activities of the
Vatican’s financial institution, the Institute for Religious Works, more commonly
known as the IOR.
The Commission is composed of 5 people. These include two
US natives, Harvard Law Professor Mary Ann Glendon and Monsignor Peter Bryan Wells,
of the Vatican Secretariat of State.
Presenting the Secretariat of State communique
to journalists Wednesday, Holy See press office Director, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J.
stated that the Commission is tasked with carrying out inquiries and presenting the
Holy Father with a report of their findings “in view of possible reform".
Fr.
Lombardi noted that the Commission of 5 people is not permanent. It will present
the report to the Pope and then be dissolved. He also added that no deadline has been
set.
The new Pontifical Commission, which will begin its work in the coming
days, is not involved in running the Institution. Its main aim will be to study it
to help Pope Francis ensure the IOR’s activities are in harmony with the Churches’
mission.
Below please find a Vatican Radio translation of the Comuniquè
issued by the Secretariat of State:
Chirograph of the Holy Father
Francis for the institution of a Pontifical Commission of Referral for the Institute
of Religious Works.
The Holy Father has established a Pontifical Commission
to the Institute for the Works of Religion with a Letter of June 24 . As you can
see from the text of Chirograph published today, the opportunity to establish a Contact
the Commission arose from the desire of the Holy Father to learn more about the juridical
position and activities of the Institute to enable better harmonization of said Institute
with the mission of the Universal Church and the Apostolic See, in the more general
context of reforms that should be carried out by the institutions that aid the Apostolic
See. The Commission aims to collect information on the Institute and present the
results to the Holy Father. As specified in the Chirograph, during the course of
the Commission’s work, the Institute will continue to operate according to the
1990 Chirograph that established it, except as otherwise provided by the Holy Father.
The purposes and powers of the Commission are described in more detail in the
aforementioned Chirograph same.
The members of the Commission are: Cardinal
Raffaele Farina, President Cardinal Jean-Louis Pierre Tauran, Member Bishop
Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru, Coordinator Monsignor Peter Bryan
Wells, Secretary Professor Mary Ann Glendon, Member The Commission
will begin its work in the coming days. The Holy Father augurs a happy and productive
collaboration between the Commission and the Institute. Following is the
Holy Father Francis' complete Chirograph by which he establishes a Pontifical Referring
Commission for the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR).
“With
his Chirograph of 1 March 1990, Blessed John Paul II established the Institute for
the Works of Religion as a public juridical entity, giving the Institute a new configuration
while maintaining its name and purpose. With the same perspective, taking into account
that he wished to better adapt the Institute's structures and activities to the needs
of the times; following the invitation of Our Predecessor Benedict XVI to allow the
Gospel principles to permeate even the activities of an economic and financial nature;
having heard the opinion of various Cardinals and other brothers in the Episcopate
as well as other collaborators; and in light of the need to introduce reforms in the
Institutions that give aid to the Apostolic See; We have decided to establish a Referring
Commission for the Institute for the Works of Religion that will gather accurate information
on the Institute's legal position and various activities, in order to allow, if necessary,
a better harmonization of the same with the universal mission of the Apostolic See.
The Commission is to carry out its proper duties in accordance with this Chirograph
and Our working arrangements. 1) The Commission shall consist of a minimum of five
Members, among which is a President who is its legal representative, a Coordinator
who has the ordinary powers of delegation and acts on behalf of the Commission in
collecting documents, data, and the necessary information, as well as a Secretary
who assists the members and keeps the acts. 2) The Commission is endowed with the
powers and faculties appropriate to performing its official institutional duties within
the limits established by this Chirograph and the norms of the juridical system. The
Commission is to collect the documents, data, and information necessary to the performance
of its official institutional duties. Workplace confidentiality and other restrictions
established by the juridical system shall not inhibit or limit the Commission's access
to documents, data, or information, except as subject to the norms that protect the
autonomy and independence of the Authorities that are engaged in the supervision and
regulation of the Institute, which shall remain in force. 3) The Commission shall
have the human and material resources appropriate to its institutional functions.
If needed, it shall make use of contractors and consultants. 4) The governance
of the Institute shall continue to operate in accordance with the Chirograph that
established it, unless We provide for otherwise. 5) The Commission shall rely upon
the willing cooperation of the Bodies of the Institute along with its entire staff.
In addition, the Superiors, Members, and Officials of the Dicasteries of the Roman
Curia and the other agencies related to it as well as the Vatican City State shall
likewise cooperate with the Commission. 6) The Commission shall keep Us informed
of its proper activities in the course of its work. 7) The Commission will deliver
to Us the results of its work, as well as its entire archive, in a timely manner upon
the conclusion of its tasks. 8) The Commission's activities shall take effect from
the date of this present Chirograph. 9) The dissolution of the Commission will
be announced.Given at the Vatican on 24 June 2013, in the first year of my Pontificate.