Friday, October 2, 2020

Mincione used former Vatican fund to invest in mafia-linked bond managed by Torzi company By Ed Condon for CNA October 1, 2020 Catholic News Agency The Dispatch

Mincione used former Vatican fund to invest in mafia-linked bond managed by Torzi company

By Ed Condon for CNA

October 1, 2020 Catholic News Agency The Dispatch 1Print

5646stpetersjpg_00000005545 — (us.fotolia.com/krivinis)

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 1, 2020 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- An investment fund created for the Holy See Secretariat of State to invest Church funds was used to purchase millions in a bond of debt products issued by companies, some with alleged mafia links. The bond, which packaged together hospital receivables into a debt security, and the fund were managed by companies belonging to two businessmen at the center of the ongoing Vatican financial scandal.

Company records examined by CNA show that, on Dec. 31, 2018, the Athena Global Opportunities Fund held 3.9 million euros of investment in Sierra One SPV SrL, a financial special purpose vehicle consisting of bills receivable owed to Italian hospitals and related vendors.

Athena Global Opportunities Fund is owned and managed by Rafaelle Mincione, an Italian businessman living in London. Under the stewardship of Cardinal Angelo Becciu, in 2013 the Secretariat of State invested hundreds of millions of euros with Mincione, with the Athena Global Opportunities Fund serving as a dedicated vehicle for those investments.

Italian government filings examined by CNA show that Sierra One, nominally valued at 100 million euros, was put together by Sunset Enterprise Ltd., which at that time was controlled by Gianluigi Torzi.

Torzi was a director of Sunset Enterprise from May, 2018, until 8 June, 2020. Until February 2020, Torzi owned Lighthouse Group Investments, which itself owns Sunset – renamed Vita Healthy Ltd. in May of this year.

Sierra One’s administrator was Giacomo Capizzi, a business associate of Torzi. Capizzi is the CEO of Meti Capital, in which Sunset Enterprise is an investor, and also serves as the CEO of Imvest, a property development company listed in Rome. In 2016, Imvest offices were raided by Italian financial police in connection to charges of coordinated fraud, submission of false budgets, and false accounting.

In 2018, the same year that Mincione’s Athena Global Opportunities Fund bought the Sierra One bond, Torzi was engaged by the Secretariat of State to broker the final stage of its purchase of the London property from Mincione. Torzi was arrested June 5, 2020, by Vatican investigators and charged with “extortion, embezzlement, aggravated fraud and money laundering” for his role in the transaction.

Torzi, and his companies Odikon Services and Sunset Enterprise, are currently being investigated by Italian authorities for an alleged multi-million euro fraud involving securitization of debt owed to a Catholic hospital in Rome, Fatebenefratelli, a move similar to the Sierra One debt securitization from hospitals and vendors.

Among the debts which make up the Sierra One bond are those issued by facility management company Esperia SpA. In July 2018, five months before Athena recorded its stake in Sierra One, the Prefecture of Naples ordered the forced liquidation of Esperia for alleged ties to a Camorra mafia crime family. That order was reversed on appeal, after the company showed it had moved its headquarters to Rome just before the prefecture’s order, effectively removing Esperia from the jurisdiction of the prefecture.

Esperia previously owned another cleaning services company, Kuadra, which was linked to the same crime family in 2016 and liquidated in 2018.

Over the course of 2018, and after Becciu’s departure from the Secretariat of State to lead the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Holy See separated itself from Mincione.

CNA asked both Mincione and the Holy See Press Office for clarity on exactly when in 2018 the Secretariat of State withdrew from the Athena Global Opportunities Fund, and when the Sierra One purchase was made, but received no response by deadline.

In the process of the separation, the secretariat bought the entirety of a London building at 60 Sloane Ave. – owned by Mincione through another company – relinquished its remaining investment in the Athena Global Opportunities Fund, and transferred a reported 40 million euros to Mincione via Athena. The total of debt and equity investments reported by Athena Global Opportunities Fund on Dec. 31, 2018, including the stake in Sierra One, was just over 40 million euros.

On Thursday, Italian news site Adnkronos reported that the Vatican has been officially notified that both Torzi and Mincione are under investigation for money laundering.

The Athena investment in Sierra One is significant for several possible reasons.

If the Athena Global Opportunities Fund acquired the stake in Sierra One, whose debt portfolio was under management by Torzi’s company Sunset Enterprise, before the Vatican’s separation from Mincione, it raises the possibility that Church funds were used to invest in debt products issued by mafia-linked companies.

If the stake was acquired while the Vatican was in the process of divesting from its investments with Mincione, it points to a business transaction linking Mincione’s Athena fund and Torzi’s company Sunset at a time when Torzi was supposed to be working on the Vatican’s behalf to broker the purchase of the London property from Mincione.

If the Sierra One investment was made after the conclusion of the Vatican’s separation from Mincione, it suggests the possibility that nearly 10 percent of the 40 million euros transferred by the Vatican to Mincione, an arrangement brokered by Torzi, was then directed into a Torzi-managed project.

CNA asked both Mincione and Torzi if they were aware of the other’s involvement in Sierra One, and if the investment had been discussed between them.

A spokesman for Torzi declined to respond to questions “because of the in-progress inquiry.”

CNA also asked Mincione if he was aware of links of companies in Sierra One to organized crime, and if Athena’s investment in the bond had generated any return. A spokesperson for Mincione did not respond to CNA’s questions.

After Torzi’s arrest in June, Vatican state media accused Mincione of a “conflict of interest” in the deal. Mincione distanced himself from Torzi in comments to the press.

Speaking to ADN Kronos in June, Mincione said Torzi was a “counterpart,” not a “partner,” and characterized their personal connection casually as “two Italians in London,” and saying they only knew each other slightly, since their offices were off the same square in London.

In July, CNA reported that in the months before Torzi was asked by the Holy See to act as middleman for the final purchase of the London property from Mincione, another company, Pop 12, owned by Mincione secured a multi-million-euro loan from Torzi’s company Sunset.

In addition to Torzi’s June arrest, Vatican prosecutors have also had contact with Mincione over his role in managing funds for the Secretariat of State. In July, a search and seizure warrant was issued by an Italian magistrate and served on Minicone in a Roman hotel by Italian state police. That warrant was issued on request of Vatican investigators, who seized electronic devices, including phones and iPads.

Mincione and his company WRM Group have sued the Secretariat of State in a U.K. court, and are asking a judge to rule that he “acted in good faith” in his dealings with the Vatican.

Vatican prosecutors have been examining the Secretariat of State’s financial dealings with Mincione for nearly two years. Several Vatican officials have had their homes and offices raided and been suspended as part of the investigation.

Last week, Cardinal Becciu was ordered by Pope Francis to resign the rights and privileges of a cardinal, and as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, a role he had held since his departure from the secretariat in 2018.

It has been widely reported that Becciu’s resignation was triggered by mounting evidence of financial misconduct during his time at the secretariat, with Vatican sources indicating that, following his arrest, Torzi has agreed to cooperate with investigators.

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Florida man charged with arson at Florida Catholic church October 1, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs

Florida man charged with arson at Florida Catholic church

October 1, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs 1Print

CNA Staff, Oct 1, 2020 / 03:53 pm (CNA).-

When sheriff’s deputies set out to arrest the Florida man who is believed to have set fire to a Catholic Church last month, it turned out he was already in jail. Eugenio Rodriguez-Colina was charged Wednesday with arson, but was already incarcerated after being charged days before with shoplifting at a Walmart.

Police say that on Sept. 18 Rodriguez-Colina broke into Incarnation Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida, and tried to burn it down.

Surveillance video shows a man, allegedly Rodriguez-Colina, shirtless and wearing a surgical mask and white gloves, breaking into the church and pouring a jug of clear liquid on several of the wooden pews before setting them alight. He fled as the flames erupted, apparently without stealing anything.

Rodriguez-Colina was charged with arson Sept. 30, and with burglarizing a local convenience store, in addition to the charge which landed him in jail, shoplifting at a Walmart.

There is no motive known for the crime.

The sanctuary sustained significant damage in the fire, including the loss of the front section of pews.

After the fire, parish pastor Fr. Michael Cormier urged parishioners to pray for the assailant.

The priest said during his Sept. 20 Sunday homily that initially he considered closing down the church for the weekend to have work done to restore the pews, canceling the weekend’s Masses.

“But we thought: if we did that, evil would win,” Cormier said.

“We wouldn’t have Mass for one weekend, and evil would win…we have been struck down by this, but not destroyed. In the end, evil never wins.”

Cormier led the congregation in a prayer of thanks that the “act of evil” did not destroy the church, praying for the assailant “that [God] remove the malice and hatred from his heart.”

“May this terrible act cause us to unify, to love one another more than ever, and to continue to make [our parish] the bedrock of faith and strength it has always been,” Cormier prayed.

Bishop Gregory Parkes of St. Petersburg sent his regards and prayers to the parish Sept. 19.

The arson is the latest in a spate of attacks against Catholic churches in Florida this year, and across the country.

On the morning of July 11, a man crashed a minivan through the front door of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Ocala, Florida. He then set the church aflame while parishioners inside prepared for morning Mass.

Police arrested Stephen Anthony Shields, 24, of Dunnellon, Florida later that day. He has been charged with attempted murder, arson, burglary, and evading arrest.

Also in July, an as-yet unidentified assailant beheaded a statue of Christ the Good Shepherd at a parish in the Archdiocese of Miami, in Southwest Miami-Dade County.

In 2019, the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee was damaged by fire, with several of the chairs in the sanctuary set ablaze using an accelerant. A 32-year-old man with a history of mental illness was later arrested in connection with the arson.

Elsewhere in the US, several Catholic statues and church buildings have been vandalized this year, including several statues in California of St. Junipero Serra that have been pulled down by mobs.

On July 10, the Diocese of Brooklyn announced that New York City police were investigating the vandalization of a statue of the Virgin Mary at Cathedral Prep School and Seminary in Queens. The next day, local police in Boston confirmed that a statue of the Blessed Virgin, located outside the church of St. Peter’s Parish, had been set on fire and suffered damage.

Also on July 11, an arson attack gutted the 249-year-old Mission San Gabriel in Los Angeles, a mission church founded by St. Serra.

In September, a man broke at least six windows, beat several metal doors, and broke numerous statues around grounds of a Louisiana parish in a late-night vandalism attack that lasted over two hours. The assailant has since been arrested and confessed to the crime.

Also in September, a vandal entered the sanctuary of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in El Paso, Texas and destroyed a nearly 90-year-old statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

While some attacks on statues, most notably in California, have been committed in public by large groups with clear political affiliations, the perpetrators of other acts, including those against the images of the Virgin Mary and Christ, have not been identified.

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Analysis of Sahel region conflict finds violence rooted in inequality October 1, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs

Analysis of Sahel region conflict finds violence rooted in inequality

October 1, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs 0Print

CNA Staff, Oct 1, 2020 / 02:55 pm (CNA).- A new report from Catholic Relief Services has found that growing violence in the Sahel region of West Africa has its foundation in economic inequality, creating one of the fastest growing humanitarian crises in the world.

The study found that religious beliefs are not causing the violence, but rather, religious leaders could have an important role in promoting peace.

“Our report underscores the fact that while the crisis may be painted by some as religious or ethnic in nature, it’s actually a result of perceived inequality and a growing discontent with government,” said Jennifer Overton, West Africa regional director for Catholic Relief Services, in a press release.

On September 30, Catholic Relief Services released a study analyzing the causes of the Sahel conflict, and its effects on communities in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. The study, conducted in April, included interviews, surveys and focus groups of local farmers, herders, militias, and religious and social leaders.

“According to the analysis, jihadists and organized crime groups are exploiting the poor and unemployed, small communal grievances and mistrust of national political leadership to recruit fighters to carry out acts of violence,” Catholic Relief Services said.

Recruitment in these groups is driven by poverty and lack of national resources, rather than religious views, the report said. It added that both Christian and Muslim leaders have spoken out against the violence, and have at times faced assassination attempts for doing so.

“Insufficient and inequitable access to wealth, livelihoods, and natural resources is the driving force behind the deterioration of the social fabric and uptick in violent conflict,” the report found, adding that young people often join violent groups to escape the poverty and injustice surrounding them.

There has been a 62% increase in deaths in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in the last year due to rising violence, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project reported that more than 4,600 people were killed in the violence in the first half of 2020.

Record flooding in recent weeks and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic have added to the crisis in the region.

“The humanitarian needs across the Sahel are staggering, with upward of 1.8 million people displaced from their homes by the violence,” Catholic Relief Services said. “According to the United Nations, more than 20 million people, half of them children, are in need of life-saving assistance and protection – the highest number ever recorded in the region.”

The violence in the area has swelled to such a level that government leaders are no longer able to respond effectively, the new report said. It stressed the importance of a collaborative response including religious and tribal leaders – who are often well respected in local communities – alongside government officials.

In response to the growing crisis, the CRS report offered several recommendations.

“Existing peacebuilding task forces (PBTFs) should bring together religious leaders at national levels to advocate for the adoption of realistic, just and humane policies to overcome the suffering caused by the current crises and to reverse political and religious polarization, violent extremism and social unrest,” it said.

It called for additional development resources to aid poor communities, as well as stronger conflict management mechanisms, including the involvement of young people and women.

“Raising the status of women as peacebuilders must respect local cultural norms and practices, but advances in this traditionally male-dominated domain could significantly improve accountability and strengthen the social fabric in the long run,” it said.

Those interviewed in the study also stressed that security and social stability play an important role in laying the groundwork for lasting peace in the region.

Last year, Catholic Relief Services offered support to the local Church in launching the Sahel Peace Initiative, to provide both immediate assistance to those who have been displaced and peacebuilding efforts to foster the stability necessary for further development.

“The daily atrocities we’re seeing reflect an extremely complex reality that is rooted in despair,” said Patrick Williams, Catholic Relief Services’ program manager for the Sahel Peace Initiative.

“We’re talking about communities where the number of unemployed people far exceeds the number of those able to earn a meaningful living.”

Overton called for changes that will help building lasting peace in the Sahel region.

“Those living in the Sahel deserve good governance, security, access to livelihoods and improved living conditions,” she said.

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Dolan says Barrett is ‘best candidate’ for SCOTUS seat October 1, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs

Dolan says Barrett is ‘best candidate’ for SCOTUS seat

October 1, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs 1Print

CNA Staff, Oct 1, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York called Judge Amy Coney Barrett the “best candidate” for the Supreme Court vacancy, and said she, like her potential predecessor, faces biases due to her sex, family, and faith.

Speaking on his Sirius XM show “Conversations with Cardinal Dolan” on The Catholic Channel September 29, Dolan praised Barrett, a mother of seven and a professor at Notre Dame Law School prior to her appointment to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, as someone “who takes her faith seriously.” But, Dolan said, that was not why she was nominated to the Supreme Court.

“I think she is nominated because she is the best candidate around,” said Dolan. “I hope so. And from what I hear, she is. So, let’s hope for the best.”

Barrett was nominated by President Donald Trump on September 26 to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on September 18.

Dolan said that while he had never personally met Barrett, “she sure gets good reviews” from those who knew her.

Even those who may disagree with her judicial philosophy, said Dolan, have said that she is “a woman of integrity and strength and independence.”

“They all rave about her character. In my mind, that’s what’s most important,” he said.

Dolan also spoke warmly about Ginsburg, and drew comparisons between her and Barrett as women of faith.

“What I admired in the accolades to Ruth Bader Ginsberg, there were a lot of articles about her deep Jewish faith and how she was not afraid to say that the values of her Jewish faith animated how she lived, and how she judged,” said Dolan, adding that it was not controversial for her to characterize her faith in this way.

The cardinal recounted a story that Ginsburg “always said she faced three biases; a woman, a mother, and a Jew,” and said that Barrett would be facing these same challenges.

“It seems like Judge Barrett is facing [biases against]; woman, mother, and Catholic,” he said.

If Barrett is confirmed to the Supreme Court, she will be the first woman on the court with school-aged children. Her youngest child, Benjamin, is eight years old.

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The New Under Ground Church-THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD

Friday, October 2, 2020