The director of the Sistine Chapel Choir, Monsignor Massimo Palombella during an interview with The Associated Press, in Rome.
(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Human beings are stewards not predators – Pope Francis
Human beings are called to praise God for his gift of creation, not be predators out to plunder the earth and all it contains, Pope Francis has said.
In a message sent last week to participants of an Italian conference on the consequences of deforestation in the Amazon, the Pope said the current situation in the South American rainforest “is a sad paradigm of what is happening in many parts of the planet”.
It is “a blind and destructive mentality that prefers profit to justice; it highlights the predatory attitude with which men and women relate to nature”, he said. “Please do not forget that social justice and ecology are deeply interconnected.”
The conference took place in the central Italian town of Amatrice, which was devasted in 2016 after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the region. Amatrice was the hardest-hit town, accounting for 234 of the estimated 290 deaths.
In his message, the Pope said the conference’s location was “a sign of hope” as well as a “sign of closeness to so many brothers and sisters who still live at the crossroads between the memory of a frightening tragedy and a reconstruction that is slow to take off”.
Holy See revokes diplomatic immunity of apostolic nuncio
The Holy See has announced it has revoked the diplomatic immunity of the apostolic nuncio to France, Archbishop Luigi Ventura, clearing the way for the diplomat to face criminal charges in that country.
In a statement, interim head of Vatican communications Alessandro Gisotti confirmed that the archbishop’s immunity had been waived.
Archbishop Ventura, 74, is accused of having inappropriately touched a young male staffer of Paris City Hall.
In March France’s Minister of European Affairs, Nathalie Loiseau, called on the Vatican to waive immunity and allow the inquiry to reach a conclusion.
“At this point, [Archbishop Ventura] benefits from diplomatic immunity, but the Holy See is clearly aware of the serious accusations that have been brought against the apostolic nuncio and I don’t doubt for a second that the Holy See will do the right thing,” Loiseau said at the time.
Vatican choir director quits after fraud allegations
Fr Massimo Palombella has ceased his position as director of the Sistine Chapel Choir, according to the Vatican. The music teacher had been under investigation for financial fraud.
A July 10 statement said Pope Francis recently accepted Fr Palombella’s request to end his service and that the decision was made together with the Office of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations and the Salesian order, of which Fr Palombella is a member.
Fr Palombella “is now available to the Salesian Congregation for the new ministry that will be entrusted to him”, it stated.
The end of Fr Palombella’s nine-year tenure with the choir comes after news of a financial scandal involving the Sistine Chapel Choir broke in July 2018.
In September 2018, the Holy See press office confirmed the scandal, reporting that Pope Francis had authorised an investigation, still ongoing, into the “economic-administrative aspects” of the choir.
Allegations
The allegations were of reported money laundering, aggravated fraud against the Vatican City State, and embezzlement, accusing the choir manager Michelangelo Nardella and Fr Palombella.