Pope Francis has named his new secretary of state, in the most important appointment since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church earlier this year.
Archbishop Pietro Parolin, the Vaticanâ„¢s current ambassador to Venezuela, was appointed as Å“deputy pope,” on Saturday.
Parolin, 58, will replace Cardinal Tarciscio Bertone.
Bertone, 79, was accused of failing to prevent ethical and financial scandals during the era of former Pope Benedict, who resigned back in February.
The newly-appointed Parolin also served as the Vaticanâ„¢s former deputy foreign minister from 2002 until 2009.
The secretary of state plays a key role in the Vaticanâ„¢s central administration, the Curia, and is the Popeâ„¢s top adviser.
The Vatican was hit with scandals last year, after Pope Benedictâ„¢s butler published confidential Vatican documents, alleging corruption and mismanagement.
In July, Italian investigators said in a report that the Vatican Bank, officially known as the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), had operated in a way that facilitated money laundering.
According to the report, IOR failed to carry out enough checks on its clients and the bank allowed account holders to transfer large sums on behalf of others.
Since March, Pope Francis has vowed to fight financial corruption at the IOR.
He has set up a commission to report the bankâ„¢s activities to him. Pope Francis also issued a decree aimed at fighting money laundering.
SZH/SS
Republished from: Press TV