Secretariat of State to scrutinize Vatican agencies’ statements

Vatican insiders, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told CNA that the production process of the Justice and Peace document seemed to lack their expected degree of consultation and approval with the two main curial departments – the Secretariat of State and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Justice and Peace document, entitled “Towards reforming the international financial and monetary systems in the context of a global public authority,” was unveiled to the media on Oct. 24. It attempted to analyze the present economic crisis as well as provide some possible solutions, including a tax on international financial transactions.

At the press conference to present the document, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., stressed that the publication was “not an expression of papal magisterium,” and that it would be wrong to attach the words “Pope Benedict says,” to any subsequent reporting of it. However, he did add that the document was an “authoritative note of a Vatican agency.”

CNA learned that some Vatican officials felt that while Fr. Lombardi’s formulation was technically correct, it was so nuanced that it created confusion in the minds of the media and general public about the authority of the document.

Consequently, all documents will now have to be cleared well in advance by the Secretariat of State.