Vatican real estate deal trial gets underway with defence on the attack
Vatican CityRNS A dull silence filled the room when Cardinal Angelo Becciu, shoulders hunched and eyebrows furrowed, walked in for the first day of a historic Vatican trial, in which he is one of 10 facing a wide range of charges for their part in a real estate deal using Catholic Church funds. Becciu is […]
Historic Vatican trial may change Catholic Church’s finances forever
Vatican CityReuters A landmark fraud trial of 10 people including a cardinal begins in the Vatican on Tuesday in what officials hope will be a turning point in its financial credibility and show that no-one is above the law. The headliner at the trial is Cardinal Angelo Becciu, 73, formerly a senior official in the […]
Vatican reveals property holdings for first time in transparency drive
Reuters The Vatican released information on its real estate holdings for the first time on Saturday, revealing it owns more than 5,000 properties as part of its most detailed financial disclosures ever. The information was contained in two documents, a consolidated financial statement for 2020 for the Holy See and the first-ever public budget for […]
Explainer – Behind the Vatican’s London real estate scandal
Rome, ItalyAP The Vatican has set a 27th July trial date for 10 people, including a once-powerful cardinal and papal contender, on charges related to the Holy See’s €350 million investment in a luxury London real estate venture. The 487-page indictment request capped a two-year investigation that exposed how the Vatican had lost millions of […]
TREE-CHANGERS: IN THE US, HOMESTEADERS, CATASTROPHISTS ARE RUNNING FOR THE HILLS TO FLEE UNCERTAINTY
CAREY L BIRON, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on why some Americans are swapping urban living for rural lifestyles…
CHURCH BUILDINGS: IN ST LOUIS, FORMER HOUSES OF WORSHIP ARE RETOOLED TO MEET THE CITY’S NEED
BILL MOTCHAN, in an article first published on Religion News Service, looks at how former churches and synagogues in the US city of St Louis are being repurposed…
MIDDLE EAST: GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH FACES ISRAELI HOMEOWNERS’ IRE AFTER LAND SALES
MICHELE CHABIN, of Religion News Service, reports from Jerusalem…
War, hunger and a housing boom: welcome to Africa’s most crowded city
Thomson Reuters Foundation Conflict, drought and floods have pushed a record number of Somalis into Mogadishu, making it Africa’s most crowded city, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre said on Tuesday. With more than 340,000 people forced to flee their homes in the first half of 2018, the year is likely to produce Somalia’s highest number […]