Rescriptum ex audientia SS.MI

Rescript of the Holy Father regarding the duties of the office of the Auditor General

The Holy Father, at the Audience granted to the Cardinal Secretary of State on 24 April 2023, established that, for all that is not set forth in Art. 222-224 of the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, issued on 19 March 2022, the provisions contained in the Statute of the Office of the Auditor General, which entered into force on 16 February 2019, shall be observed.

In consideration of the provisions of Article 18 § 2 of the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, since the figure of the Secretary is not foreseen in the Statute of the Office of the Auditor General, the Holy Father has established that ordinary administration, in the event of a vacant Apostolic See, shall not interrupted and that the function of control continues to be exercised by the Office of the Auditor General under the supervision of the Cardinal Camerlengo.

The Holy Father has established that the second part of Article 7 § I of the Statute of the Office of the Auditor General, which reads: “The Auditor General shall analyse the reports and present them with a report to a special commission composed of the Assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, the Prelate Secretary of the Council for the Economy and the Secretary of the Secretariat for the Economy” be replaced as of now, in the parts that are relevant, by the wording of Art. 224 § 2 of the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium which states that the Auditor General shall examine the reports and that he “presents them with a report to the Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy and also, should he deem it necessary, to the Cardinal Coordinator of the Council for the Economy”. This is without prejudice to the provision of Article 4 § 3 c) of the Statute of the Office of the Auditor General, according to which reports, when they present elements of justification, be transmitted to the Judicial Authority.

The Holy Father has ordered that the present Rescriptum be published in L’Osservatore Romano, as well as in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, taking effect on the same day of publication.

From the Vatican, 26 April 2023

Pietro Card. Parolin

Secretary of State