The Wall Street Journal has a lengthy article on the financial state of Vatican City, a condition that is rife with incompetent financial management taken advantage of by criminal financial management perpetrators and ongoing, determined obfuscation, refusal to cooperate with auditors, and cynical downplaying of the importance of the City’s finances by the incumbent financial managers and their supporters.

The article ended with this:

Some cardinals this week have been critical of the emphasis some have placed on the Vatican’s financial struggles.
“Jesus sent the Apostles and later the bishops into the world to preach the Gospel of salvation, redemption, hope to everybody. This remains the main issue for the Church,” [Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig] Muller said. “The other questions—the financial state of the Vatican—it’s not so important for the essence.”

The financial state of the Vatican lies at the core of the Pope’s and the Church’s ability to preach the Gospel of salvation, redemption, hope to everybody. It’s a global effort, and it cannot be done for free.

It seems like the Cardinals have themselves become a collection of moneychangers rather than ministers to the flock.