The Vatican has new rules for whistleblowers. Will it help Pope Francis combat corruption?

Big news from the Vatican. They’ve just come up with a new set of rules for whistleblowers. These rules, explained in a seven-page document and a press statement, will start from 1 February. “The procedure will facilitate the spread of the awareness of the institution of whistleblowing,” the statement from the Office of the Auditor General read, reported Reuters. Why are they doing this? It’s part of Pope Francis’ plan to make things more transparent with money and stop corruption. These rules will pave a way to encourage people working in the Vatican to speak up if they see something wrong. This is a big deal as it shows the Pope wants to make sure everything is fair and honest in the Vatican. But what are these rules. Here’s a closer look. Vatican launches whistleblowing procedure The Vatican, no stranger to financial scandals, has for years allowed Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR) in its bank. But they have been used mostly by upper echelon sleuths and one SAR report led to the conviction of a cardinal on fraud charges last year. The new democratisation of whistleblowing allows anyone in any department to signal suspected malfeasance, mostly of a financial type, in a simple, user-friendly way that includes a dedicated email address in the auditor’s office. [caption id=“attachment_13653552” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Pope Francis established a special economic secretariat in 2014, cracked down on corruption, and increased scrutiny of investments and the Vatican Bank, resulting in the closure of 5,000 accounts. File image/Reuters[/caption] Accusers cannot hide their identities with anonymous tips but the auditor will keep their names confidential, except in special cases where judicial authorities must be informed. And lest anyone forget that the Vatican, like all bureaucracies, can be prone to office gossip, the new rules say whistleblowing should be reserved for serious offences and not petty “moaning” about a boss or colleague. The statement from the Office of the Auditor General read said the new procedures were part of Pope Francis’ efforts to install financial transparency and combat corruption. Pope Francis’ crackdown on corruption The Vatican stated that whistleblowing is “one of the most effective instruments to combat corruption.” Since taking office as head of the worldwide Catholic Church in 2013, Pope Francis has worked to clean up the Holy See’s murky and often disastrous financial situation. He established a special economic secretariat in 2014, cracked down on corruption, and increased scrutiny of investments and the Vatican Bank, resulting in the closure of 5,000 accounts. Last month, a Vatican criminal court sentenced Angelo Becciu, a once-powerful Italian cardinal, to five and a half years in prison in a landmark trial centred on a loss-making London property transaction. He is appealing the verdict.  With inputs from Reuters and AFP