Catholic News 2

(Vatican Radio) Hundreds of desperate housewives in Venezuela have marched across the Border into Venezuela in search of food to feed their families. 

Their gesture may appear insignificant but it is a stark example of desperation and defiance, as Venezuela`s economic crisis worsens still further.

Listen to the report by James Blears:

It was supposed to be bridge too far, but NOT for determined and resourceful Venezuelan housewives faced with empty refridgerators and hungry families.  
Clad in white, they crossed the bridge linking the city of Urena with Cucuta in neighboring Colombia.  

The Border has been closed for almost a year to combat the smuggling of subsidised Venezuelan goods into Colombia.  

But the Venezuelan National Guard were no match for determined angry and insistent housewives. 

Many Venzuelans  quietly cross over the meandering frontier for precisely the same reason, but this was a "While  for Right"  action, right out in the open for everyone to see, directly resulting from of Venezuela`s economic meltdow. 

President Nicolas Maduro blames artfully engineered economic sabotage for increasing and worsening acute shortages.  

But the more obvious reasdon can be found in Venezuela`s "One Horse" economic structure.  

Many goods and foodstuffs are imported rather than grown or produced. But now the international price of petroleum has plummeted,   singular reliance has led to an economic nosedive. 

This is the first but not last hunger march, providing food for thought as well as meals on the table. 

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(Vatican Radio) Father Federico Lombardi, Director of the Vatican Press Office, briefed journalists after the reading of the verdicts in the so-called ‘Vatileaks 2’ trial.

Father Lombardi explained that the trial had to take place because a Law was promulgated in 2013 specifically to contrast the illegal leaking of documents and information.

The proceedings, he continued, had to go ahead in order to give tangible evidence of the firm decision within the Holy See to put an end to all tensions and controversial discussions surrounding internal Vatican matters that too often – in recent times - have stemmed from the leaking of confidential information to the media and have resulted in ambiguous and negative contexts. 

“To be able to understand and evaluate the diverse aspects of this situation”, the right thing to do – Lombardi said - was to courageously tackle the issue and understand which was the effective responsibility of the journalists notwithstanding predictable polemical comments regarding press freedom issues.

Father Lombardi said the trial was conducted by competent Lawyers and Judges within the full respect of Laws and procedures and in full (and public) transparency.

The verdict – he concluded – was formulated by the Judges taking part in the formation of the Court in full autonomy, with an attitude of justice and clemency.

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Vatican City, Jul 7, 2016 / 10:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After an eight-month trial weighing the guilt of five individuals in the leaking and disseminating of confidential financial documents, the Vatican has reached a verdict, sentencing a Vatican official and a laywoman for the crime.

The defendants in question were Spanish Msgr. Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda, Italian PR woman Francesca Chaouqui, Nicola Maio (Vallejo’s secretary), and journalists Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi.

On July 7, Msgr. Vallejo was found guilty of leaking the documents and sentenced to 18 months in prison. However, since he has already been in prison for 8 months, his sentence could be cut to 10 months.

After his initial arrest Nov. 2, 2015, he was transferred to the Vatican’s Collegio dei Penitenzieri, a residence run by Conventional Franciscans, on house arrest. However, after violating the terms, he was moved back to the cells of the Vatican Gendarme, before eventually returning to the Collegio dei Penitenzieri.

Chaouqui was found guilty of conspiring in the crime, but was not charged with the actual leak of the documents given a lack of evidence.

She was sentenced to 10 months in prison for her role, however, the sentence was suspended for 5 years, meaning that she is free to go, but should she commit another crime within 5 years of her original sentence, she would have to go to prison not only for the new crime, but would also have to serve the 10 months of her initial charges. Both she and Vallejo will be required to pay for the cost of the trial.

Chaouqui had given birth to a son, Pietro, on June 14.

Maio, for his part, pled not guilty and was fully absolved of all charges “for having not committed the crime.”

As for the journalists, it was ruled that the Holy See could not indict them since what they are accused of falls outside of Vatican jurisdiction.

Each of the defendants have three days to make an appeal. Since Vallejo confessed to his crime in court, it’s possible that his original 18-month sentence could be cut in half, leaving him more or less free to go should his 8 months in prison be considered time-served.

The sentences were read aloud by Giuseppe Dalla Torre, President of the Vatican tribunal. The rest of the court consisted of Judges Piero Antonio Bonnet and Paolo Papanti-Pelletier, as well as Alternate judge Venerando Marano.
 
The prosecution, the Office of the Promoter of Justice, was represented by Promoter of Justice Gian Piero Milano and Adjutant-promoter Roberto Zannotti.

The unprecedented trial marks the first time the Vatican’s new laws have been tested after the leaking of documents was officially criminalized in 2013, after Nuzzi published a book containing confidential information given to him by Pope Benedict XVI’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, in what came to be known as the first “Vatileaks” scandal.

While Benedict XVI, often depicted in the media as the more severe pontiff, pardoned his butler of the crime, thus relieving him of any prison time, it has yet to be seen if his successor will do the same.

However, given previous statements by Francis, frequently dubbed the “Pope of Mercy,” as well as the fact that it was he who criminalized the leaking of documents in the Vatican, a pardon doesn’t seem likely.

Shortly after the initial accusations were made, Pope Francis in a Sunday Angelus address called the theft and publication of the documents a “mistake” and “a deplorable act that does not help” with ongoing reform efforts.

However, he said the “sad fact” of the situation wouldn’t deter him from moving forward with his collaborators in the continued restructuring of the Roman Curia.

Both Msgr. Vallejo and Chaouqui are former members of the Commission for Reference on the Organization of the Economic Administrative Structure of the Holy See (COSEA). The commission was established by the Pope July 18, 2013, as part of his plan to reform the Vatican’s finances, and was dissolved after completing its mandate.

They were arrested Nov. 2, 2015, in relation to the theft and dissemination of the documents. Chaouqui was released after spending one night in jail in exchange for her cooperation with investigations, while Msgr. Vallejo has remained in custody.

On Nov. 21, 2015, Msgr. Vallejo, Chaouqui, and Maio were accused of working together to form “an organized criminal association” with the intention of “disclosing information and documents concerning the fundamental interests of the Holy See and the (Vatican City) State.”

They were accused of acquiring the confidential documents and passing them on to Nuzzi and Fittipaldi, who published separate books on the information.

Nuzzi and Fittipaldi were themselves accused of “urging and exerting pressure, particularly on Msgr. Vallejo,” to obtain the private documents and then publish books on the content.

After the initial accusations were made, the trial process began Nov. 24, and concluded July 7 after both the prosecution and the defense presented their final arguments.

When the prosecution presented their closing arguments July 4, they originally asked that Msgr. Vallejo serve a three year and one month prison sentence, and that Chaouqui, whom they held to be the “inspirer and the one responsible for the alleged conduct,” serve a three year and nine month sentence.

Due to Maio’s “limited role” in the affair, the prosecution asked that he be given a sentence of one year and nine months in prison.

They requested that Fittipaldi be acquitted due to “a lack of evidence” of his participation in the crime, while Nuzzi be condemned to a one year suspended sentence.

Their actual sentences, then, show a softer approach. However, while the Vatican’s final ruling might be considered by some as a slap on the wrist, the trial is still proof that they take the issue seriously, and won’t back down from a legal fight should one be necessary again in the future.

At a July 7 news briefing on the trial’s conclusion, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ said the process was necessary in order to demonstrate the will to combat “the incorrect manifestations and consequences of the tensions and polemics inside the Vatican.”

For too long these tensions have shed “an ambiguous and negative” on internal discussions and interactions, and have had negative consequences on public opinion via the “indiscretions or filtrations of documents to the media,” he said.

The spokesman insisted that the public has the right “to objective and serene information,” calling the trend of leaking documents “a disease to be fought with determination.”

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Karen Callaway, Catholic New World

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has named Chicago Archbishop Blase J. Cupich a member of the Congregation for Bishops, the office that advises the pope on the nomination of bishops around the world.

Archbishop Cupich, 67, takes the place left vacant by U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada, who turned 80 in mid-June and automatically ceded his membership.

The congregation is led by Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, its prefect. Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington also serves as a member.

In a statement from Chicago, Archbishop Cupich said: "I am humbled by the Holy Father's trust and confidence in me. While my primary responsibility remains here in the Archdiocese of Chicago, I look forward to joining other members of the Congregation for Bishops to serve the pope and the church in this ministry."

Nuncios, or Vatican ambassadors, around the world conduct the initial search for priests suitable for the office of bishop and forward their names to the congregation. Congregation members review the biographies of potential candidates and comments and recommendations collected by the nuncios before making their recommendations to the pope.

The congregation also advises the pope on the establishment of new dioceses or the consolidation of old ones; advises bishops' conferences on their work; coordinates the joint activities of military ordinaries around the world; and organizes the "ad limina" visits that bishops regularly make to the Vatican to report on the status of their dioceses.

The congregation is tasked with supporting the work of bishops in their dioceses, a function regularly carried out with the review of reports prepared in conjunction with the "ad limina" visits. But it also is responsible for organizing apostolic visitations of dioceses where particular tensions or controversies have arisen.

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IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring

By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Vatican court, citing freedom of the press, acquitted two journalists who published confidential documents while their source, a Spanish monsignor, was sentenced to 18 months behind bars.

Judge Giuseppe Della Torre, head of the tribunal of the Vatican City State, delivered his ruling July 7, declaring that the court had no legitimate jurisdiction over Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi.

The court found Msgr. Lucio Vallejo Balda, secretary of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, and Francesca Chaouqui, a member of the former Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See, guilty of having roles in the leaking of confidential documents about Vatican finances.

Finding the Spanish monsignor guilty of actually stealing and passing on secret documents, the court sentenced him to serve jail time. The judges determined that Chaouqui's role was one of encouraging the leak and they gave her a 10-month suspended sentence.

Nicola Maio, Msgr. Vallejo Balda's former assistant, was found not guilty and acquitted of all charges.

Shortly after the court's ruling, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, released a statement saying that despite criticisms of the proceedings, the trial was "necessary" to ensure that Vatican law regarding the leaking of private documents is respected.

"We cannot declare objectives or establish norms and not be coherent in putting them into practice and pursuing those who break the law," he wrote.

The ruling brings an end to the "VatiLeaks" trial, which began in late November, after long periods of recess and months of witness and expert testimonies on the events leading to the leaking of private documents dealing with the Vatican's financial reform.

Nuzzi's book, "Merchants in the Temple," and Fittipaldi's book, "Avarice," focused on the irregularities uncovered by the commission Pope Francis established to study the financial activity of Vatican offices.

Shortly after the books were released, Pope Francis expressed his dismay, saying he was "disturbed" by the leak.

"Stealing documents is a crime," the pope said. "It is a deplorable act that does not help."

Msgr. Vallejo Balda, Chaouqui and Maio were accused of forming an "organized criminal association" with the aim of "committing several illegal acts" of leaking confidential documents.

Under the Vatican criminal code, it is a crime to take, distribute and publish confidential documents.

Fittipaldi and Nuzzi faced charges of "soliciting and exercising pressure, especially on (Msgr.) Vallejo Balda, in order to obtain confidential documents and news," which they then used for their books.

Before the judges began their deliberations, the defendants were given an opportunity to deliver a final statement.

Of the five defendants, Chaouqui alone chose to address the court, delivering an emotional plea and apologizing for the outbursts she made throughout the trial.

"I am a person who, at times, is unable to keep quiet. I am proud, angry and have a character that has sometimes led me to make mistakes," she told the court July 7.

She also argued the prosecution did little to prove her alleged threats led the Spanish monsignor to leak the documents. Chaouqui noted that a profanity-laced message to Msgr. Vallejo Balda read in court July 5 was sent several months after he had already given Nuzzi the documents.

"I was given the harshest penalty as if I had done everything alone from the moment I met (Msgr.) Balda," she said.

Breaking down in tears, Chaouqui said the accusations against her were false and that her "personal and professional image as a woman and a mother" was destroyed.

"For me these months have been a Calvary. No punishment is greater than what I have been through up until now," she said.

Lawyers for Maio, Nuzzi and Fittipaldi had given their closing arguments July 6, calling for the full acquittal of their clients due to lack of evidence.

Roberto Palombi, Nuzzi's lawyer, also said the Vatican court had no jurisdiction because Nuzzi is not a citizen of Vatican City State and that the alleged crime of receiving and publishing private documents took place in Italy.

Palombi also argued that the charge unjustly criminalized journalists for "asking questions."

"We are defending an Italian citizen who exercised his right to freedom of the press; we are talking about here a new kind of crime -- a criminal association of the press," he said.

The prosecution countered the assertion, saying that the charges reflect only the alleged illegal manner in which the documents were acquired.

The charges are not "against freedom of the press" but rather relate to the questionable methods used to obtain the information, Vatican co-prosecutor Roberto Zanotti argued.

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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.

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