The Vatican Bank has fired two employees whose recent wedding violates a newly-introduced ban on marriages between staff.
In a statement published Wednesday, the Institute for the Works of Religion, as it is officially called, said it had made the 鈥渄ifficult decision鈥 to fire the pair because 鈥渢he formation of a married couple among the employees is in fact blatantly contradictory to the current regulations鈥 at the bank.
鈥淭his decision, taken with deep regret, was dictated by the need to preserve transparency and impartiality in the Institute鈥檚 activities, and in no way intended to question the right of two people to be united in marriage,鈥 it added.
The bank said that its policy is designed to prevent conflicts of interest at an institution with only around 100 employees, all of whom work at the same location.
Laura Sgro, a lawyer representing the couple, who have not been named, said that they had told the bank of their intention to marry in February, but the new regulations banning marriage among employees were only adopted in May.
Sgro said the couple, who have three children, were told that their employment had been terminated on October 1.
Sgro added that she had 鈥渃hallenged and contested鈥 the decision as she considers it 鈥渘ull, illegitimate and seriously detrimental to the fundamental rights of individuals and workers and, therefore, devoid of any effect.鈥
Sgro added that the couple had appealed for an exemption from the rules to Pope Francis and bank director Gian Franco Mammi. Neither responded to the request, she said.
The Vatican Bank has a history of financial scandals and in 2013 Pope Francis set up an expert committee to recommend reforms to the economic and administrative structures of the Holy See to combat the problem.
It was part of the pope鈥檚 long running attempts to crackdown on financial corruption and bring transparency and accountability to the Vatican鈥檚 management of money.
Since then, investigations have resulted in convictions for high-profile figures.
In January 2021, Angelo Caloia, the former head of the bank, was sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for money laundering and aggravated embezzlement, becoming the highest-ranking official to be convicted of a financial crime.
And in December, Giovanni Angelo Becciu was handed a five and a half year jail sentence after being convicted of several counts of embezzlement. He鈥檚 the first cardinal to be convicted and sentenced by a Vatican court.
Becciu has denied the charges and his lawyer has said he plans to appeal the convictions.
A Canadian man who is trapped in Lebanon with his family says they are anxiously waiting for seats on a flight out of the country, as a barrage of Israeli airstrikes continues.
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The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman has been rescued from Gaza where she had been held captive by Hamas for years after being trafficked by ISIS.
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The federal Fisheries Department says it is concerned about a "pattern" of violence and threats toward its enforcement officers after two tense incidents off southwestern Nova Scotia last month.
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Armed men belonging to the Gran Grif gang killed at least 70 people, including three infants, as they swept through a Haitian town shooting automatic rifles at residents, a spokesperson for the United Nations' Human Rights Office said on Friday.
Iran鈥檚 supreme leader on Friday praised the country鈥檚 recent missile strike on Israel and said it was ready to do it again if necessary, state TV reported.
Prosecutors have charged a Michigan man with killing and dismembering a janitor he met on the dating app Grindr.
UN peacekeepers are staying in their positions on Lebanon鈥檚 southern border despite Israel鈥檚 request to vacate some areas before it launched its ground operation against Hezbollah militants, the UN peacekeeping chief said Thursday.
An Israeli airstrike on a West Bank cafe that the military said targeted Palestinian militants also killed a family of four, including two young children, relatives told The Associated Press on Friday.
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Defence Minister Bill Blair says Israel has the right to defend itself in 'a calibrated and proportional way' following Iran鈥檚 ballistic missile attack against Israel on Tuesday.
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Alphabet's Google is testing showing check marks next to certain companies on its search results, a company spokesperson said on Friday, in a move aimed at helping users identify verified sources and steer clear of fake websites.
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The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.
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What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.
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A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by 麻豆传媒 Toronto show.
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