“In recent days, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See has completed the sale to Bain Capital of the building at 60 Sloane Avenue in London, with a total proceeds of 186 million pounds”. The Secretariat for the Economy “followed the entire procedure in its various phases. The losses found compared to the amount spent for the purchase of the property were transferred to the reserve of the Secretariat of State, without in any way in this circumstance the Pence of St. Peter is touched, and with it the donations of the faithful “.
A chasm in the accounts
Thus the Holy See puts pen to paper with a press release the financial “hole” of 114 million euros, resulting from the purchase of the property in London, Sloane Avenue 60, bought in 2014 (first half, then all in 2018) by the Secretariat of State for 300 million and definitively sold. Following this purchase, a trial is underway in the Vatican with various personalities accused, including the former substitute Angelo Becciu.
The change of pace
For a year now, the Pope has removed the management of the funds from the Secretariat of State, concentrating them (together with other entities) in the Apsa and under the control of the Secretariat for the Economy, led by the prefect Juna Guerrero-Alves. To ensure the transparency and independence of the evaluation process, the Holy See availed itself of the assistance of the real estate broker Savills, “selected at the end of a tender procedure launched in January 2021 under the supervision of real estate advisors”, he said. the Holy See. In September 2021, the Vatican “received a first round of 16 offers, subject to ‘due diligence’ in the following months, followed by a second round of three offers, also subject to appropriate investigations”. “The operation was completed in recent months with the choice of the buyer and, finally, with the deed of sale”, he concludes.