Well the Order of Friars Minor is a branch of the 800-year old
Franciscan order of monks ( a Roman Catholic order, which was founded by St Francis of Assisi ) , whose members are dedicated to a life of poverty. And now it is in grave financial difficulty after the discovery of a
massive financial scandal allegedly involving fraud and embezzlement of tens of
millions of euros from its accounts.
An internal investigation which began months
ago has found extensive financial irregularities at the Order of Friars Minor
which has around 14,000 members worldwide and owns churches and convents in
more than 100 countries, including the UK.
According to Italian media reports,
this allegedly includes making investments in offshore shell companies based in
Switzerland, which had been involved in questionable business deals and
investments.
A senior friar with expertise in
financial affairs has been appointed to lead the investigation into the alleged
fraud and will go through records dating back more than a decade. ‘We are encouraged by the example set
by Pope Francis in his call for truth and transparency in financial dealings in
the church and in human societies,’ Michael Perry, the American
monk who is head of the order wrote. The Pope has already initiated
a radical clean-up of the Vatican bank since being elected in March last year.
Oh...wow... isn't that a little too late. And who has the money now?
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