Vatican Bank’s New Overseer: Secularization in Sacred Garb
The EWTN News portal (February 2, 2026) reports the appointment of Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi as president of the Cardinalitial Commission overseeing the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican bank. He succeeds Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, who led the commission for 12 years until reaching the age limit. The commission praised Schönborn’s role in the IOR’s “reform process,” while Petrocchi pledged to continue emphasizing “Catholic ethics, transparency, and shared responsibility.” The commission now includes Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, recently appointed by the antipope Leo XIV.