Vatican monsignor arrested in 20M euro plot

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- A Vatican cleric and two other people were arrested Friday by Italian police for allegedly trying to smuggle 20 million euros ($26 million) in cash into the country from Switzerland by private jet. It's the latest scandal to hit the Holy See and broadens an Italian probe into its secretive bank.

Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, already under investigation in a purported money-laundering plot involving the Vatican bank, is accused of corruption and slander and was being held at a Rome prison, prosecutor Nello Rossi told reporters. Scarano's arrest came just two days after Pope Francis created a commission of inquiry into the Vatican bank to get to the bottom of the problems that have plagued it for decades and contributed to the impression that it's an unregulated, offshore tax haven.

Francis has made clear he has no tolerance for corruption or for Vatican officials who use their jobs for personal ambition or gain. He has said he wants a "poor" church that is concerned for the world's needy, and he has also noted, perhaps tongue in cheek, that "St. Peter didn't have a bank account."

Prosecutor Rossi said the Swiss operation involved three people, all of whom were arrested Friday: Scarano, a recently suspended accountant in the Vatican's main finance office, Italian financier Giovanni Carenzio, and Giovanni Zito, who at the time of the plot was a member of the military police's agency for security and information.

Could it possibly be connected with the corrupt gay contingent currently infecting the place?

Hopefully the Pope Francis will flush the toilet.

And flush again.

The church needs to be strong for the upcoming war with Islam.

They’ve been there, done that.

Vatican cleric and two other people were arrested Friday by Italian police for allegedly trying to smuggle 20 million euros ($26 million) in cash into the country from Switzerland by private jet.

So who's money was it -- that quite possibly was be laundered?

That's the thing with these Vatican Bank troubles when they pop up.

It's rare if anything ever becomes settled.

The Eye-Talian Gooberment, if they are ever allowed to figure it out in the first place... settles for a piece of the action, and then it is understood they will stay quiet?

What's the deal?

Oh well, as bad as the Vatican Bank can seem to be, I doubt they are worse than Travelers/ CitiBank, and Sanford Weill who I'd like to waterboard everyday for about 6 months until he volunteered to tell me he everything he knows. I want names and details. All of it.

I would need some help of course, in way of insider knowledge of multinational banking (beyond the wedding of commercial & investment banks, which was a bad idea that the greedy-guts Brits and Eurotwits came up with, making the American greedy-guts fat-cat investment banker/insurance tycoons jealous) in knowing what would be the right questions to ask.

I don't care if he's 81 years old. He should suffer. (the bastard is still in denial that the tearing down of Glass-Steagall was a large factor in the alleged close-call financial markets collapse of 2007-2008).

Giving money to charitable causes now, is just so much salve to his own conscience for having been a cunning and manipulative liar for most of his life (he was admittedly good at what he was good at). People like him have played significant roles in the ruination of this nation.

Jon Corzine, of course, should just be stood up against a wall, and shot. Ok, he could made to squeal a little first. Then be shot.

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